Serve LA / How an LA non-profit fighting houselessness made "the unseen" seen with a new identity and campaign — growing donations 200% and volunteers 73%.

Collage of posters promoting Serve LA, an organization aiding marginalized communities in Los Angeles, featuring diverse individuals and bold text reading 'SERVE LA' repeatedly.
A woman smiling and looking down at her chest with her eyes closed, wearing a floral dress, stands in front of a large advertisement display that says "My name is Michelle" and includes her name and part of her story. The display is on a city sidewalk, next to a stone building with glass doors.
A digital collage of four social media-style posts with different background colors and photos. The first post is blue with a photo of a young man and text about his name and location. The second is peach with two children eating at a table and text about hygiene kits campaign. The third is orange with a photo of a woman with an afro hairstyle and text about being not a problem but a person. The fourth is yellow with a photo of a group in a meeting and text about volunteer interest meeting.
Multiple colorful movie tickets with the word 'SERVE' in bold black letters, each featuring a different person's portrait, overlapping on a black background.
A yellow and black sidewalk sign with the word 'SERVE LA' on top, placed on a brick sidewalk near some plants and a tree. The sign contains a message inviting guests to greet others with eye contact and a smile.

Project Information

Stage

Established

Industry

Non Profit

Services

Brand Strategy
Rebrand
Brand Guidelines
Campaign

Impact Points

Community Wellbeing
Access to Food

  • As a B Corp, Odd Notion only partners with founders building products that benefit people and planet. We sort that commitment into three tiers:

    • Measured impact — brands with verified, certified outcomes, like a fellow B Corp.

    • Unmeasured impact — brands doing real good that haven't yet quantified it.

    • Do no harm — brands we're proud to build because of how they operate.

    Serve LA sits in our measured-impact tier. As a non-profit guiding LA's marginalized and unhoused neighbors from suffering toward flourishing — through meals, recovery services, and holistic support — its impact is its mission. And it's measurable: since launching the new brand and campaign, donations are up 200% and volunteers up 73%, directly expanding the support Serve LA can offer the people it serves.

Situation

Serve LA is a dedicated non-profit organization that is committed to transforming the city of Los Angeles by guiding marginalized individuals from states of suffering to flourishing. They achieve this through providing meals, recovery services, and holistic support to those often overlooked or unseen within the city.

Problem

Despite their efforts, houselessness remains a significant issue within Los Angeles, with an estimated 66,000 individuals experiencing houselessness on any given night. The problem has been further compounded in recent years with an increasing number of individuals experiencing houselessness for the first time. Serve LA approached us with the need for a brand identity system and brand campaign that would help them raise necessary funds and expand their volunteer program.

Solution

Our strategy involved peeling back the layers to truly understand the heart of Serve LA; to see their "guests" as just that - guests. These are people with dignity who are going through a difficult time. Society often disregards or quickly passes by these individuals, leading us to the word "unseen." This motif guided us through the identity design and brand campaign effort. The goal was simple: to make the unseen seen, not as a problem to fix, but as people, just like anyone else, who need compassion. To introduce Serve LA to the Los Angeles community, we produced a campaign video to kick off fundraising and expand Serve LA's volunteer program, showing their guests as people with hopes and dreams, not problems to solve.

Credits

Strategy: Eleazar Ruiz
Creative Direction: Eleazar Ruiz
Graphic Design: Eleazar Ruiz
Tone & Voice: Diana Taggart
Director & DP: Josua Fischer
Editor: Ashton Trujillo
Photographer: Evelyn Garibay-Solis

Impact since Launch

Donations increased by

200%

Volunteers increased by

73%

Heather Fischer, Communications Director at Serve la

Odd Notion immediately impressed us with their expertise. They made the process easy and enjoyable—explaining their approach and providing guidance through every step of the process. As an organization that has a lot of stakeholders, they were able to navigate our various values and unify them into a cohesive direction and purpose, providing an end product we were proud to have represent us and clearly communicate our identity. Their abilities to foresee real-life usage of the brand, develop creative approaches, and push artistic boundaries are invaluable!

More projects

A modern speaker mounted on a stand against a red background with the word 'ELECT' in large black letters.
A gold-colored earbud with a small screw in the center, sitting against a dark purple background.
A gold-colored earbud with a small screw in the center, sitting against a dark purple background.
Billboard advertisement depicting a mouse in sunglasses lounging on an inflatable pool float, drinking a beverage with a small umbrella, surrounded by floating oranges, with the text 'Tango' and a slogan about pest control and website
Billboard advertisement depicting a mouse in sunglasses lounging on an inflatable pool float, drinking a beverage with a small umbrella, surrounded by floating oranges, with the text 'Tango' and a slogan about pest control and website
Clear water bottle with a green cap and the word 'Glow' in green on the side, outdoors among green foliage.
Clear water bottle with a green cap and the word 'Glow' in green on the side, outdoors among green foliage.
A cardboard box with bold black text and a graphic of a hand with a explosion. The box is placed on a round table with a beige tablecloth. The background is plain with a warm brown tone.
A cardboard box with bold black text and a graphic of a hand with a explosion. The box is placed on a round table with a beige tablecloth. The background is plain with a warm brown tone.