ColorPop Books
Developing a new product brand to inspire children and create a new source of funding for classroom requests.
Background
DonorsChoose is a nonprofit crowd-funding platform that makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need. With about 86% of public schools in America participating, donors like you and me find a classroom project that inspires us and give as little as $1.
The challenge
DonorsChoose was launching a new product to address a pressing parent need and create a new source of funding for classrooms. This one-of-a-kind bookshop would specialize in kid-affirming, representative book bundles, and center on the Black and Brown family experience. Each purchase would help fund books for historically underfunded public schools across the country via DonorsChoose projects.
The opportunity
DonorsChoose’s bookshop recognized the importance of kids seeing themselves in the books they read. In 2022, only 39% of children’s books featured at least one BIMPOC character. Drawing upon the expertise of teachers and their knowledge of childhood learning, DonorsChoose responded by creating ColorPop Books—a bookstore designed to fill this gap. ColorPop Books aims to tell undertold stories, build representative bookshelves at home, and continue to support kids without access to identity-affirming books with resources that build confidence and empathy
A name as bright as its stories
We explored a wide range of names for this new bookshop – with 12 different naming territories. One name fell away from the rest: ColorPop Books, with its representative stories that bring a BURST of color to a child’s perception of the world, and help families navigate a colorful and complex world together. The name evokes excitement, surprise, energy, momentum, and creativity.
A visual identity designed to burst
ColorPop’s visual identity captures the fun, inclusivity and dynamism of reading. The colors are cheerful and vibrant. The photography captures authentic joy. The illustrations are organic and evocative. Together, ColorPop’s visual identity is exciting, welcoming and affirming – just like the books.
Project Credits
- James Wu
