Communication around municipal and support services is very process focused. Our idea was to draw attention to the larger goals and benefits of the system. Additionally, to remove terminology like “emergency food” that (inaccurately) implied starvation or desperation. The system is about providing nutritious groceries that help families feel confident and be healthy. Participating in this system means their refrigerators are full, their plates are full, food is Plentiful. This is embodied in the logo, a bag overflowing with nutritious food, and the hint of a smile on the handle. The items themselves reflect a well balanced diet including bread, vegetables and a milk carton. The name describes the goal, and the logo clearly defines the service. We also utilized hand drawn illustrations in branded materials, reminiscent of community murals, adding an organic familiar feel.

Plentiful consists of 4 main creative elements: name, logo, educational materials and digital product. The foundation is the logo lock-up providing color and tone. It has a clean stroke, and reads nicely from an application icon to a subway poster. It centers on a bag overflowing with carefully chosen healthy food, with a handle that hints at a smile. Another key element is hand-drawn illustration, reminiscent of community murals, which is woven throughout these materials providing warmth and familiarity. The focus of these illustrations are happy groups joined together by food and community. Plentiful enables these scenes, and celebrates them. The healthy food is eye-catching in illustrations with bright natural colors jumping off blue tones.

After only 3 months, the Plentiful identity and digital ecosystem has been fully embraced by support organizations, pantries, customers and the city of New York. Plentiful is active in 30 pantries with over 9,000 registered users representing 80% of all NYC zip codes. More than 5,000 food services have been coordinated using Plentiful, a number which is rising every day. There is an extensive waiting list of pantries eager to be trained and registered as Plentiful locations.