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Our Work Houston SPCA

Transforming Animal Advocacy with Strategic Branding and Website Design

Discover how Casual Astronaut transformed Houston SPCA’s visual identity and underperforming website into a cohesive, engaging digital presence — boosting support for its crucial animal advocacy work.

A young boy lies on the grass hugging a golden retriever dog. Both the boy and the dog are looking at the camera with happy expressions. The background is an outdoor park with green trees and a sunny sky.

Houston SPCA, one of the largest animal rescue and advocacy organizations in the country, recognized the need for a refreshed brand and website to effectively convey its important work. They turned to C/A for assistance in creating a new visual identity and updating their website to support their mission.

Challenge: Houston SPCA faced challenges in communicating their mission and engaging diverse audiences due to inconsistent visual identity and an outdated, user-unfriendly website. They needed tailored messaging for the general public, donors, volunteers and adoptive families, and a cohesive, modern brand image. The ineffective website hindered support for their programs and services, resulting in decreased engagement and support.

Solution: To address these challenges, C/A implemented a comprehensive approach that included both branding and website redesign efforts:

  • Unified Communication Strategy: C/A developed a comprehensive communication strategy that segmented messages according to each audience group. This strategy ensured that the organization’s mission and programs were clearly conveyed to each audience in a way that resonated with them. This approach helped Houston SPCA effectively communicate their mission and engage with their diverse audiences, ensuring that each group understood their role in the organization’s efforts.
  • Updated Visual Identity: C/A created a new visual identity with strong brand standards, including updated logos, colors, fonts, and patterns. This new identity was designed to be modern, recognizable, and reflective of Houston SPCA’s mission. The refreshed visual identity presented a cohesive and professional image, enhancing brand recognition and supporting Houston SPCA’s mission and goals.
  • Redesigned Website: C/A redesigned the website with a focus on user experience (UX), featuring intuitive navigation, responsive design, and optimized performance. Content was reorganized to be clear and engaging, and new elements like donation buttons and volunteer sign-up forms were prominently placed to increase conversions. The new website provided a seamless user experience, increased engagement and supported Houston SPCA’s programs and services more effectively.
A branding guide for the Houston SPCA contains the slogan "A voice for the voiceless for nearly 100 years." It includes core colors with hex codes, font families Meriwether and Public Sans, and patterned sections with animal paw prints and imagery in different colors.

Branding

Houston SPCA needed a unified message for each of their key audiences, which include the general public, individual donors, volunteers and adoptive families. Clear and effective communication is vital for advancing their mission and ensuring that each audience understands their role in the community.

Messaging

Houston SPCA with a broad swath of constituencies. C/A outlined specific strategies and sample messaging to clearly relay the benefits of a connection with Houston SPCA.

  • Current and Prospective Donors: Messaging focuses on the impact of donations on rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
  • Volunteers: Highlighting the importance of volunteer work and how it supports the organization’s mission.
  • General Public: Raising awareness about animal welfare issues and Houston SPCA’s role in addressing them.

Visual Identity

A strong and recognizable brand helps fulfill Houston SPCA’s mission and goals. The new visual identity includes:

  • Brand Standards: Consistent use of logos, colors, fonts, and other visual elements across all materials. Clear guidelines for maintaining brand integrity in various applications.
  • Color Guidelines: Advice and tips for using primary and secondary colors, and color combinations that may be used to meet Web AIM color contrast guidelines for accessibility.
  • Patterns and Accents: Patterns intended for use as accents or background elements in brand materials. Artwork can be modified as overlays or soft watermarks to enhance the brand’s colors or other surfaces.
A website for an animal adoption organization features a banner with a child and a dog with the text "A Brighter Future for All Animals." The site highlights donation options with images of pets and emphasizes the impact of monthly giving. Social media icons are also present.
A webpage displaying available pets for adoption on the left, featuring profiles of animals including a cat named Addie and dogs named Henry, Buster, Charlie, and Chester. On the right, there's a detailed profile page for a dog named Charlie, showing his photo and information.
The image shows a phone and a laptop screen. The phone displays a pet adoption webpage with pictures of cats, dogs, and small pets. The laptop screen shows a news story about a wildlife center caring for injured or orphaned animals, with an image of a gloved hand holding a bird.

Website

The updated website needed to support Houston SPCA’s diverse programs and services, which include cruelty investigations, disaster response, adoptions and more. The website had to communicate its vast outreach efforts and address the needs of various audiences.

UX & UI Design

  • Intuitive navigation to help users find information quickly and easily.
  • Responsive design to ensure a seamless experience across devices.
  • Prominent donation buttons and clear calls to action.

Content Strategy

  • Clear, concise messaging tailored to each audience.
  • Engaging stories and visuals to highlight the impact of Houston SPCA’s work.
  • Sections dedicated to community education on animal care and welfare.
  • Interactive content such as videos and infographics to engage visitors.
  • Testimonials and success stories to demonstrate the value of contributions.

Results

  • Enhanced Visual Design: Consistent with the new visual identity, providing a cohesive and professional look.
  • Improved Functionality: Streamlined navigation and optimized performance for a better user experience.
  • Increased Engagement: Higher conversion rates for donations and volunteer signups due to clearer calls to action and engaging content.

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We never take a one-size-fits-all approach. Let’s chat about a strategy that meets your needs.

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