Yard Girl Productions
Films are a powerful storytelling tool to spark social change. They have a unique power to move us and then build movements. This is why Diane Robinson, an educator and social impact leader, created Yard Girl Productions after three decades of social impact work. She was drawn to film as a tool to stir deeper thinking, evoke empathy, and inspire change.
Branding, Print, & Website Design
Project Overview
We worked with Yard Girl Productions to create a brand identity and two websites that reflect the energy and urgency of the mission to harness the power of filmmaking to tell the stories of marginalized communities around the world to advance justice in the communities they represent. The new brand assets and websites introduce an exciting new film production company that captures the revolutionary power of filmmaking to the world.
Before engaging with the Pixel Parlor team, Diane was relying on a homemade logo and branding to get her project through the startup phase. As her first film began to take shape, the client realized she needed a brand that represented the heart of the Yard Girl Production concept to generate interest, engage funders, and facilitate change.
Early logo sketches (first) and logo refinements (second)
Final primary logo (first) and logomark (second)
Our team worked with the client to pull inspiration from her Jamaican roots and the iconic photo of Nanny of the Maroons holding hands with another female warrior in solidarity and power. The final mark embraced and exemplified the client’s history, and goals for the future of her endeavor to catalyze change.
Updated logo and brand identity in use; print materials (first), tee shirt (second), and completed brand guidelines (third)
The new brand for Yard Girl Productions now lives in various forms as a sting, on her website, and eventually, educational materials to spread the message and amplify impact. Having extensive experience branding for film production studios, we were able to brand Yard Girl Productions in a way that stands out in a crowd, and pushes the brand to the top of the heap of peer filmmakers.
This project has been awarded an Honorable Mention from Graphis’ Design Annual 2022 for branding & identity.
THE YOUNG VOTE
THE YOUNG VOTE is the debut film from Yard Girl Productions. The documentary feature follows a diverse group of students and activists during the 2020 election to understand young people’s perceptions of voting and civic engagement. The website uses many of the familiar elements of a promotional film website. It features the trailer and press clippings, provides showing information, and highlights production details. But the site also adds additional functionality to direct visitors to take action, access educational resources, and register to vote. We incorporated punchy content to complement the visual power of the trailer. Together, they express the urgency of increasing young voter participation in American democracy and draw visitors into the story at the center of the film and critical to the heart of our democracy. Built to be edited easily, the website is designed to evolve with the film’s success as it grows its audience at film festivals nationwide.
The Result
Our work with Yard Girl Productions represents what keeps our studio energized and excited about creating brand assets and graphic design. The passion behind Yard Girl Productions emerges out of the intersection of art and social change. This is our sweet spot, too—a generative junction where our expertise comes to life. And it’s rewarding work, because if we do our job well, if we translate our clients’ visions into storytelling tools that help their message reach more people, and in turn, build movements and communities that create change in the world, then we have harnessed the power of design for good.
We believe that Yard Girl Productions’ The Young Vote is the first of many influential films from the company and we are honored to help build a brand and online experience that serve as a strong foundation to grow, reach new audiences, and use the power of filmmaking to mobilize action, change systems, and make space for sidelined stories.
Let’s Work Together
We enjoy taking on smaller projects that then become larger initiatives. There’s no project too big or too small for us. We’d love to hear what you have cooking.
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