New look, new logo, new website… The (LGBT) Center is taking steps to change its image in Orlando. The Center Board President Jay Lovell said the idea stemmed from an annual retreat right after a new board was elected in the beginning of 2009.
“We wanted to show that we’re not the same place that we were before,” Lovell said. “Clear up any misconceptions; let people know who we are and where we are, because I’m still amazed that people don’t know we have a community center.”
The Center announced the rebranding at Miss Gay Days, a Gay Days weekend pageant that also serves as a fundraiser. The new logo has been in the works since April, when Greenstraw Creative won the bid for the project.
“The logo has movement, with every piece of the rainbow color moving toward the center, and we thought that was a good play on words,” said Greenstraw’s creative director Chrissy Cowdrey.
Cowdrey said the company is also working on The Center’s revamped website. She said the design is finished but server issues have delayed the launch.
“We’d like to get it up in two to four weeks,” she said.
“It’s going to look great. I wanted it to look a little more sleek, so I used other markets and centers as a guide, and everyone has that fresh look so that’s what we need to do,” said Lovell. “Now we need to translate that into updating the look of the building.”
The design components aren’t the only aspect of The Center’s rebranded marketing efforts.
“For much too long, The Center has not been a relevant part of the GLBT community and mostly considered a meeting hall,” said Center interim director Randy Stephens. “Rebranding is a way of announcing that not only have we always been here for education and resources, we’re now trying to attract the youth and the elderly.”
That means alongside the visual collateral, the center will release some new strategies and programs.
Lovell said The Center has new plans for fundraising and grant writing.
“Different approaches, fresh ideas for fundraising, from simple things like working through Amazon.com to attracting new donors,” said Lovell. “Part of the new outreach is finding new donors within the community and partnering up with other organizations, which Randy’s been doing a great job at.”
Among other things, The Center is expanding HIV testing via an agreement with Orange County Health, said Lovell.
Stephens said The Center will extend programs already in existence and plans to add new ones.
“In conjunction with Harbor House, we’re working on a same-sex domestic violence program,” Stephens said.
He said a $4,500 grant from the Florida Bar Association will be used to promoted identification of same sex abuse to the LGBT community and educating law enforcement agencies.
“Sometimes they assume [domestic partners] are roommates,” said Stephens.
They’re also working with the Zebra Youth Coalition to expand a program that works with homeless LGBT youth.
In November, The Center plans to bring back the Health and Wellness Fair, which used to be an annual event but has been on hiatus for a few years.
Stephens said it will be extended to include gyms, weight loss information and smokers hoping to quit the habit.
“Besides HIV testing, we’ll also provide mammograms and cancer screen for cancers gays are more susceptible to, such as rectal cancer,” Stephens said.
Stephens said all the small changes are centered on one big goal.
“The community has become fragmented with different factions like the bears, circuit parties, the political animals, gay, lesbian, transgender,” Stephens said. “We’re trying to bring everyone together under one roof, and that would be The Center.”
He said he’s keeping the goals realistic.
“We’re not going to resolve all the issues in the community, but we’re at least attempting to reach out and increase communication to achieve our goals, which really are to improve the quality of life in the [LGBT] community,” Stephens said.
