Impact Counseling Services
The Client
Impact Counseling Services (formerly “Intervention Services, PLLC”) provides accessible, quality mental health counseling and consultation to students, families, schools and communities in Central Texas.
The agency first came to me about a website redesign, seeking to improve their existing site’s functionality and visual aesthetic. They expressed that they wanted to be seen as the premier agency for school-based services, as well as grow the outpatient piece in order to make these services also accessible to families and others in the communities they serve. Their new website had to give visitors a sense that the agency cares about them and their mental health, as well as provide information about what Impact Counseling Services has to offer, with easy ways to contact them.
Impact Counseling Services already had some branding elements in place, but wanted to improve their level of professionalism and increase credibility among their competition: STARRY, Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, and Vida Clinic Behavioral Health. After an evaluation of the existing assets, I recommended they add a brand guide and logo refresh to the package also.
Branding
A logo is not just clip-art to stick on business cards; it’s a promise. Branding is the first impression given to potential clients, even before meeting face to face. Having a recognizable image was key to making Impact Counseling Services stand out as the number one option for school-based mental health and wellness solutions in the area. The brand guide provided a system to streamline marketing efforts, allowing Impact Counseling Services to grow and expand without having to waste time reinventing the wheel whenever a new design project is needed. A brand guide defines logos, slogans, fonts, color codes, textures or images, styles, sizing, and more. This can be used to apply to email templates, letterheads, cards, brochures, the website, social media platforms, business cards, and even physical office spaces. Having a brand guide in place ensures that future marketing efforts are not only faster and cheaper to make, but cohesive and recognizable among the community.
Visual Direction
The final brand’s visual aesthetic focuses on the dedication to high standards, trustworthiness, compassion, and commitment to healing that can be found in Impact Counseling Services. The brand’s airy and breathable layouts of crisp typography highlight mental clarity, health professionalism, groundedness, and integrity, while the soft paint washes and gentle color palette evoke feelings of peace, safety, and transformation.
Logo
The droplet logo is symbolic of how the work of Impact Counseling Services has a rippling effect: the love and care administered to patients affects every aspect of their lives, including the people around them.
Fonts
The pairing of Rylan and Montserrat strikes a balance between academically clean and gently lighthearted and hopeful. Rylan’s bold yet curved serifs make it a font that is strong but approachable, professional but playful, whimsical but grounded.
Colors
The colors selected are calming, muted hues of purple, blue, and teal, with lots of white space to breathe. These are paired with watercolor washes, which have a calming effect and are in line with the theme set by the logo.
Website
The next step was then to apply the brand image to a responsive website. “Responsive” means that the website will automatically adjust to any device, including smart-phones and tablets, even as new models come out in different shapes and sizes. This is increasingly becoming the standard for professional websites. In 2018, mobile traffic was responsible for 52.2% of all Internet traffic, and that number is expected to grow. Since health concerns can be an area of stress for many people, it was important that the website be visually appealing, easy to navigate, fast, and functional in order for visitors to have a good experience.
