On an unseasonably warm evening in September, a group of super cool YNPNers met for YNPN-TC’s first ever branding summit -- YNPN #2ptWHOA. We dished about our current brand, what we love and what we’d like to change. And then we got down to business, by participating in some revealing activities and brainstorming.

Oh yeah, ideas flew fast and furious when the Post-it notes came out to play! Read on for some of the key insights from the summit as well as how you can join YNPN #2ptWHOA.

1. It’s about time

2013 has been a banner year for the YNPN-TC community. We incorporated. Radical Welcoming is a big hit. You've seen some new events crop up like Leadership Breakfasts and Member Meetups. We're hosting the YNPN national conference in the summer of 2014. And, there are some cool surprises that we haven't even announced yet! But parts of our visual brand have not kept pace with all of our recent strides.

2. It’s more than just changing the logo

In addition to the logo, our brand includes the impressions, thoughts and feelings people have when interacting with YNPN-TC. 

3. It includes a visual strategy with a purpose

We want to turn our members, community leaders and those not yet involved in YNPN into raving super fans. We want to do that by adding value, staying true to our spirit of innovation, continually making an impact and building upon our commitment to being an inclusive and welcoming community of changemakers. Bringing these attributes into every touchpoint of our brand is the goal of YNPN #2ptWHOA

4. You too can join YNPN #2ptWHOA

Here’s how:

a) Join the picture drive! Email images (by November 7, 2013) that you think should represent the YNPN-TC brand. These could be wacky GIFs, inspirational quotes, arresting pictures, or even links to blog posts. Remember, these images don’t have to be from YNPN-TC. Include a sentence or two about why you think the image represents the YNPN-TC brand. We’ll use your images to inform the work of the branding task force and we’ll share some of them on our social media.

b) Join the task force of creative and smart folks who will bring YNPN #2ptWHOA to life. We’re looking for folks with a range of interests, abilities, perspectives and availability. Whether you have a good eye for design, keep up with what’s new or just love to work on a creative team, we’d love your insight and feedback on how YNPN-TC should brand itself in the future.