YWCA BC changed its name and brand identity when its previous name no longer reflected its actual scale. The organization began operations in 1897 under the name YWCA Vancouver and served women who came to the city to study and work. Later, the network expanded throughout British Columbia. In 2011, the organization was renamed YWCA Metro Vancouver, and in 2025, it adopted its current name, YWCA British Columbia. Along with the new name came a new visual identity. For one of the province’s largest non-profit organizations, with over 125 years of history and engaged in housing, childcare, employment, mentoring, gender equality, advocacy, and social enterprises, the previous image no longer reflected the true scope of its work.
The Canadian agency created the new style for YWCA BC Rethink. At the heart of the system lies a new logo centered on the letter Y. It is composed of geometric shapes and tied to the theme of women’s collective strength. The overall design relies on bold colors, large typography, and strong contrast. The entire look feels more dynamic and assertive than before, reinforcing the organization’s public stance.
Previously, YWCA BC aligned with its parent organization, YWCA Canada, and used the same logo with minor text adjustments. The connection to the broader network was easy to recognize, though the previous symbol was hardly compelling. The new version gives the organization its own distinct identity. The Y-shaped monogram echoes the parent organization’s triangle, with three parallelograms forming a new pattern resembling a Venn diagram centered on the triangle. Next to it is the wordmark, set in a narrow-width Neue Corp. The combination of the monogram and typeface looks cohesive and contemporary.
The color palette of the new identity is based on pink, yellow, blue, and black, essentially an expanded version of CMYK. As a result, YWCA BC now has a stronger visual identity and presence than before. For an organization within which 29 YWCA Canada associations operate autonomously, the redesign served as a way to move away from a standard logo and develop a unique visual system tailored to real-world challenges.