In honor of the Women’s Center’s 50th anniversary this year, its leaders on April 6 displayed for the first time a colorful new logo they said represents the organization’s evolution and future.
The logo, unveiled by CEO/executive director Rachna Krishnan and board vice chairman Vicki Schmanske during the group’s annual leadership conference at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, shows three overlapping, abstracted people shapes in bright colors.
“We chose our 50th anniversary as an opportunity to refresh our brand,” Krishnan said. “We want to ensure that our brand represents our inclusive ethos, but still remains true to our core identity.”
The Tysons-based group’s previous logo alluded to Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. It featured a profile silhouette of a person’s head in dark blue (on the Northern Virginia side), with a triangle on its side in lighter blue (D.C.) separated by a white outline of the person’s face (the Potomac River).
The updated logo is more vibrant and positive, said Krishnan, who called it the center’s look for the next 50 years.
“As much as we’ve done to modernize our silhouette and modernize our logo, we can all agree that not all of us can see ourselves in our [old] logo,” Krishnan said.
Every aspect of the new brand represents something significant about the Women’s Center and its clients, community, donors, volunteers, staff and therapists, Krishnan said. The brand represents the center’s promise to take care of everyone in its community and help those with nowhere else to turn, regardless of ability to pay, she said.
“We have a rich history of supporting women at the Women’s Center and that has not changed,” Krishnan said. “We very intentionally decided to keep our name the same . . . With that said, we have dramatically increased the breadth and depth of our services.”
This includes mental-health services and support for victims of domestic violence, plus educational and career services, she said. In addition to women, the group now serves men, teenagers and younger children, she added.
The Women’s Center, and the world in general, are “vastly different” from how they were when the non-profit group was founded in 1974.
The Women’s Center since then has grown and evolved to meet the community’s needs, Schmanske said.
“Over the past few months, we have reflected on the Women’s Center’s achievements and contributions with pride,” she said. “As we look ahead, we are extremely excited about our future.”
