DIFFA’s Striking Rebrand Breaks the Mold

Last year was big for the nonprofit formerly known as Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS: its 40th anniversary. Executive director Dawn Roberson and associate director Steven Williams took the milestone as an opportunity to reevaluate everything, from its name and scope to fundraising strategies. For help with the latter, DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation’s New York chapter enlisted Gensler NYC, specifically its brand design studio. Peppering the year with three events, instead of one annual one, required distinct fundraising brands. The patchworklike 40th-anniversary package for the gala inspired a four-piece quilt set made of recycled textiles that was auctioned at the event, which raised more than $500,000.

---

Interior Design celebrates Gensler's 60th anniversary with this special section featuring Q&As and dozens of projects in four of the firm's practice areas including cities, health, workplace, and lifestyle. Check it out today.

---

“For that, we leaned on bold visuals and striking colors to inject fun and whimsy,” Gensler senior associate and design director Jessica Beck recalls. A series of thematic digital announce­ments for emails, @diffanational, and the website promoted the debut of Après Ski, a retro chalet-and-hot-cocoa winter event held at the Bryant Park ice rink. Messaging for Night at the Museum, another new initiative that was hosted on the Civilian Hotel’s rooftop and celebrated Gotham’s cultural institutions, channeled Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. “Our shared passion for design and community impact,” Beck continues, “allowed us to think outside the box.”

JESSICA BECK; LAUREN BLALOCK; SARAH BLACK; BETH NOVITSKY.