When asked to assist a non-profit organization with the redesign of its website, I met with staff and board members several times before recommending an overall rebranding effort. The organization was founded nearly two decades ago to raise money to fund research for a biological breast cancer test. It is the only organization in the world with the single mission of finding a test to detect breast cancer earlier.

I interviewed key staff and constituents to learn more about where the organization had been. Next, I facilitated a brainstorming session to begin to unearth new ideas. The session included an extensive wordplay and lots of “what if-ing.” I framed the brainstorm such that no idea was too offbeat or unworthy of consideration. We wrote down literally everything.

As a result of these efforts, we determined that in order to reach a more global audience of researchers and online donors, the name of the organization needed to change. The answer happened to be right in front of us  — the URL already in use became the new name of the organization. Here are the “Before” and “After” identities.

by Rebecca Cochran