Transformative Brand Redesign

The J’s Shemesh Camp provides a safe summer home where campers are encouraged to try new activities, gain new skills, build self-confidence, have limitless laughs and build forever friendships. As a Senior Graphic Designer at The J, I proposed the opportunity to rebrand this summer camp. The state of the Shemesh Camp brand no longer meet the overall brand standards of The J, it had an outdated logo and needed a refresh in order to go after a new audience.  

Once I got the approval to start the rebrand process, I wanted to examine the current state of the brand to help identify how we want it to change moving forward. I did this first by researching the competitors and providing a rebrand questionnaire to the team. After 24 total participants including the Camp Director, CEO, Board and other department directors – I gathered a consensus.  

My goal was to update the logo to be more fun, bright, modern and youthful. It should also express community, lifelong friends and that we are inclusive. Update the overall brand to grab the attention of both the campers and families. By updating the look/feel it will catch the eye of the campers by also giving credibility to the brand that families can trust.

Since Shemesh means sun in Hebrew, I determined that it would be great way express the name by incorporating a sun into the logo. I created the whole brand identity consisting of the logo, colors, hierarchy, typography and iconography. This then built the foundation for all of the marketing materials across print and digital. I created a new social media presence to make it fun and interactive with potential campers and their parents.  

The rebrand gave a clear execution of marketing materials, gained a new audience and increased enrollment. “Parents and kids have been complimenting the new Shemesh Camp branding since the day it was announced. I am constantly told how it is fun, clean and represents Shemesh Camp perfectly. The branding is consistent throughout everything we do and families know the information is coming from us because it is so uniform and represents us.” – Erin Wynn, Shemesh Camp Director. I submitted this brand identity to Hermes Creative Awards and was awarded gold.