National Governors Association

Brand identity; Organization collateral and assets

About the NGA

The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association’s members are the governors of the 55 states, territories, and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the political spectrum; the NGA declares itself as nonpartisan. The NGA serves as a public policy liaison between the state governments and the federal government, representing states when discussing federal issues, developing policy reports on state programs, and hosting networking seminars for state executive branch officials.

Challenge & Solution

The NGA has had several organizational logos in the history of its existence. Additionally, the organization was often confused with the Republican and Democratic governors’ associations. The association was seeking to to modernize its appearance to be reflective of its importance and and nonpartisan role within the state and federal governments.

We engaged with the NGA executive leadership, conducting a brand audit and market research, and stakeholder interviews. This process informed our design exploration. Previous organizational logos had been based on star concepts, an homage to the thirteen colonies.

In developing updated identity concepts, a new direction was embraced by the NGA executive team by incorporating a flag motif, as each state and territory had its own flag. Shades of purple were incorporated to represent its nonpartisan stance, symbolic of a blending of the red and blue colors associated with the political parties. Organizational collateral and a style guide were developed to expand the refreshed brand.

Results

The new NGA identity and branding was quickly embraced by the association and the governor members. The modern branding was a natural fit in the digital space and helped to signal the association’s distinction from other governor organizations. The brand was officially rolled out in that year’s annual Winter Meeting. The NGA’s internal team handled the implementation of the updated brand on its website and social channels, helping to grow the organization’s brand recognition and awareness.

In 2021, under new executive leadership, the NGA rebranded again and the flag-based identity was retired.

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