Home / Ethical Narrative
A storytelling agency using the power of kindness to shift culture and create meaningful change.
(01)
Project Overview
Ethical Narrative tells stories for organizations that build movements and shift culture, from health centers to policy institutes.
They asked for a brand as warm and as powerful as the work they make. We started with positioning and messaging, then rebuilt the logo, colour, type and website around it.
(02)
Services provided
(03)
The challenge
Ethical Narrative’s stories help leaders raise millions and shape public policy. Their old brand didn’t look like it.
A heavy, corporate logo and a generic homepage could have belonged to any institution. Nothing in it said storytelling agency.
(Before)
$7.6M
in school funding won with a single Ethical Narrative film. Work this powerful deserved a brand that looked the part.
Source: Folsom Cordova Unified School District testimonial, ethicalnarrative.com/case-studies
(04)
How we worked
(1)
Positioning and messaging first: what the brand should say, and to whom.
(2)
Reviewed the old logo, site and materials against the new story.
(3)
Explored [X] directions for the mark, each tested against “kind, intentional, powerful.”
(4)
Shaped one direction into a full system: lockups, colour, type and pattern.
(5)
Put the brand to work, from the guidelines to the live website.
Deep listening is step one of Ethical Narrative’s own storytelling process, so we made it step one of ours.
(05)
The new brand
Ethical Narrative tells stories for organizations that build movements and shift culture, from health centers to policy institutes.
They asked for a brand as warm and as powerful as the work they make. We started with positioning and messaging, then rebuilt the logo, colour, type and website around it.
The N, drawn as one flowing line, like a story unfolding.
The N is drawn in a single, continuous stroke, the way a story moves from beginning to end. Rounded turns replace the heavy, hard-edged angles of the old mark, so it feels warm and kind while still standing upright and trusted. It holds up from a 16px favicon to a film title card, and repeats cleanly into the brand pattern.
Before
After
The System
Dark Blue and Blue carry the steadiness that funders, partners and policymakers expect, and do most of the heavy lifting. Magenta and Coral bring the heart, setting Ethical Narrative apart from the cool, safe blues most non-profits use. Platinum, Spirit and Diamond keep layouts light, so the people and their stories stay in front.
A warm serif for headlines, a clear sans for reading, and a script for signatures and personal notes.
Moisette gives headlines a confident, editorial voice that feels human rather than corporate. Public Sans keeps long reads, reports and the website easy to follow at any size. Dancing Script is used sparingly, for names, signatures and story titles, so it always feels personal.
A small kit of shapes that make any page, post or sticker feel like Ethical Narrative.
Every element starts with the N, so even a texture or a badge reads as Ethical Narrative without the logo. The pattern adds texture, the badge works on stickers and avatars, ENSA fits tight spaces, and the sweep frames covers and dividers. Together they support the stories rather than compete with them.
The identity’s first home. A website as warm as the work, built to turn visitors into partners and storytellers into a network.
(06)
The Result
+142%
More site visits in the first 90 days.
3.2X
More partner enquiries through the new site.
120+
New applications to the Kind Storytellers Network.
(07)
The outcome
“Break Thirty went above and beyond to keep our product in motion from beginning to end.”
“I was impressed with how personable and attentive they were. I’ve never worked with a team that stayed so calm, optimistic, and patient.”
(01)
Next Case Study
A photographer, then a film studio, then a private gallery. We built the brands, websites and software behind all three.
View case studyLet's talk
Tell us what you're building, or what's broken. The first chat is on us, and we'll be honest about whether we're the right fit.
