Work

iMentor

Harnessing the power of long-term, personal relationships to help every student achieve the success they deserve and are capable of.

Service
Brand Transformation
Capabilities
The image features a blue background with the logo of "iMentor." The logo includes the lowercase letter "i" inside a tilted square, followed by the word "mentor" in white text. The "i" in the square is stylized as part of the word "iMentor.

Background

iMentor partners with high schools to help students of diverse backgrounds focus their higher education ambitions and become the first in their families to graduate from college. Every year, they pair thousands of volunteers committed to mentoring a high school student for at least three years.

“iMentor had missed its fundraising and program recruitment goals for three consecutive years and staff and board members struggled to tell a clear and compelling story.”
Danielle Kristine Toussaint
Former Managing Director of Communications, iMentor

The challenge

After 15 years of growth and evolution, the education and college success sectors had grown crowded and noisy. iMentor was ready to clarify its unique approach to long-term, transformative relationships and college success. Successfully conveying the essence of the organization through visual and verbal design closely tracked with iMentor's goals for outpacing competitors, finding corporate partners and funding, and expanding across the country to new markets.

A person's hands are seen sketching logo concepts on multiple sheets of paper. The sketches include various text and icon designs, most of which incorporate the word "iMentor." Different fonts, geometric shapes, and creative illustrations are present on the sketch papers.

A complete transformation

Our 360-degree rebrand encompassed brand strategy, messaging, visual identity, web redesign, and an array of brand materials. Hyperakt dramatically modernized the voice, appearance, and digital presence of an organization that is doing important, uplifting work. The new iMentor evokes the transformative power of personal relationships. Immediate, powerful, and inspiring, the new iMentor makes a strong case that every student deserves a champion.

A more human brand

Through research, competitor analysis, and workshops, we helped iMentor define themselves in every facet of their organization. Together, we distilled iMentor’s personality attributes, emotional benefits, functional benefits, onliness statement, archetype, brand story, key messages, and tagline. These elements formed their new brand platform and served as the guiding light for all of our work.

Graduates in blue gowns and caps celebrate by throwing their caps in the air. They smile and raise their hands joyfully. The background features an indoor venue with lights and seating areas.
A crowd of graduates in caps and gowns is seen from the back. The focus is on a single person in the center of the image, wearing a tassel on their graduation cap. The background is blurred, highlighting the main subject.

Celebrating college graduation

The logo is a bridge between the old and the new, a succinct distillation of what iMentor stands for: harnessing the power of one-on-one mentoring to improve college graduation rates. Our creative team continued to build on the strategic positioning and logo through compelling and emotionally resonant photography, iconography, and illustration. The resulting brand is a celebration of the impact transformative, long-term, personal relationships.

A comparison of the iMentor logo before and after redesign. The "Before" logo has the word "Mentor" with an abstract figure behind it. The "After" logo features a blue square tilted with the lowercase letter "i" inside, followed by "mentor" in a modern font.
“The mission of the organization deserves a logo and identity as good as this.”
Armin Vit
Brand New
A display of multiple business cards laid out in a tiled pattern. Each card features a modern, minimalistic design with abstract blue and green geometric shapes on a dark blue background. The forefront card shows contact information for a CEO at "4mentor.
Three logos of "iMentor" organization, each representing different regions: "iMentor nyc" on the left, "iMentor chicago" in the center, and "iMentor bay area" on the right. Each logo consists of a blue uppercase "I" within a small tilted square next to the word "mentor.
A group of graduates in blue gowns and caps celebrate on stage. A person is seen hugging one of the graduates. The text overlaid on the image reads, "Every student deserves a champion." The mentor logo is at the bottom of the image.
iMentor is the only college success organization that connects every student in a high school with a college-educated mentor. Mentors are equipped with the tools and support necessary to help students become the first in their families to graduate college.
“Our new brand is visually arresting, and emotive, and substantively grounded in our values. Our logo mark makes a vivid connection to the power of our work — mentoring for college success.”
Danielle Kristine Toussaint
Former Managing Director of Communications, iMentor
Left side: A bus shelter ad shows a mentor hugging a student in graduation attire, with text promoting becoming a mentor. Right side: A person stands with hands in pockets, wearing a blue shirt with geometric designs and the word "Mentor".
Open books displayed in a grid pattern, each showing different pages of a brand guideline manual. Categories include Logo, Color, Typography, Photography, and Patterns, featuring detailed instructions, images, and design elements related to each category.
“Our brand messages have given everyone in the organization clear guidance on who to speak to, how to speak to them, and what to say.”
Danielle Toussaint
Former Managing Director of Communications, iMentor
Digital billboards on a tall building display messages celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Morgan Stanley Foundation. The words "4 mentor" and "Morgan Stanley Proudly Celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Morgan Stanley Foundation" are prominently visible.

A portal for inspiration and connection

iMentor’s website is the digital front-door to the organization. It is a deft combination of inspirational storytelling, clean design, and thoughtful logic. With bold photography, iconography, and snappy copywriting, the website is the most important place where all of iMentor’s diverse audience segments—funders, school partners, prospective mentees, and the general public—can learn what it takes to become a student's champion.

Comparison of wireframe (left) and final design (right) of a website. The wireframe shows placeholders for text, images, and maps, while the final design features images of people, text headers, and an interactive map at the bottom.
A desktop computer and a laptop displaying the iMentor website against a blue background. The desktop screen shows a slogan "Every student deserves a champion," with a graduation image. The laptop screen shows mentorship information and images of mentors and students.
“The rebrand turned things around. The year following the brand launch, we exceeded our fundraising goals and executed a series of marketing campaigns that reenergized our volunteer base, staff, and board.”
Danielle Kristine Toussaint
Former Managing Director of Communications, iMentor
A composite image of three web pages from iMentor. Each page features students in graduation attire, text highlighting mentorship programs, and images of people participating in activities. The designs emphasize education, support, and achievements.
  • 125%
    increase in site visits
  • 204%
    increase in site visits on mobile devices
  • 78%
    increase in unique visitors to site
“We tell the stories of our students and partners with dignity and strong belief in human potential. Now the rest of the world can share our confidence and passion to drive impactful change in education.”
Danielle Toussaint
Former Managing Director of Communications, iMentor
A smartphone displays a webpage from iMentor with a green background. The header reads: "iMentor prioritizes learning and innovation through data collection and analysis at every step in our model." Below it, three icons illustrate points labeled Honesty, Rigor, and Utility.
A group of graduates in blue caps and gowns celebrate on stage. One person in the front raises both arms joyfully, with one hand holding a confetti popper, releasing a shower of confetti. The background is filled with other graduates smiling and cheering.

Behind the Scenes

News & Recognition

Project Credits

Client
Year of Completion
Issues
Services
Capabilities
Project Team
  • Julia Zeltser
  • Sruthi Sadhujan
  • Logan Emser
  • Eric Wang
  • Jason Lynch
  • Jeanne Henry
  • Radhika Unnikrishnan
Links

More Projects

Ready to unlock the potential of your nonprofit's brand?
Reach Out