Client: USY (United Synagogue Youth)
USY is the youth group affiliated with USCJ, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. For 60 years, USY has provided young people with social, community service, spiritual, travel, leadership and educational opportunities. As a teenager, I participated in an exceptional USY-sponsored summer trip to eastern Europe and Israel – a trip that truly changed my life.
This year, to celebrate its 60th anniversary, USY is sponsoring several events around the country. Each event will honor an individual who has had a significant impact on the organization. The first event, to be held in September, honors Jules Gutin who has spent his entire professional career within the Conservative movement and has been USY and Kadima’s International Director for more than 20 years.
The committee working on the events posed an interesting challenge. They wanted all of the invitations to have a cohesive look and yet, be distinct from one another. And they liked the idea of using stained glass as a design motif. I gave that concept some thought. With its transparency, luminosity, robust color and unique textures, stained glass does convey creativity; additionally, each shard, with its particular shape and identity, contributes to the beauty of the whole. An interesting visual metaphor for the members and leaders of USY.
To address the continuity issue, I decided to create a logo to represent these USY at 60 events. The warm, golden orb which has already earned the nickname “the sunshine” is like a beacon, representing the leadership demonstrated by all of the honorees. Over the course of the year, the logo will become a recognizable USY60 brand. Each invitation will use the logo and the stained glass concept but different colors will be highlighted and additional touches may be added to personalize the design.
The brand is already expanding; these and related images are featured on a web site that USY created for the anniversary and on the USY60 Facebook page.
Click below to see a pdf of the entire invitation to the Jules Gutin event.
