Revamped Queen City Kitchen Nourishes the Community

Cincinnati’s oldest food pantry is poised to serve even more neighbors, thanks to a thorough brand redesign.

Since 1976, Queen City Kitchen (formerly Over-the-Rhine Walnut Hills Kitchens & Pantry) has been on a mission to provide safe spaces for neighborhood residents to gather, connect and break bread. But in recent years, the organization has wanted to address the need for more meals in more communities across the city. Before they could grow, the nonprofit needed to evolve their brand presence—starting with a new name and identity. On February 21, 2018, the organization unveiled a new website and brand identity, developed by a group of LPK interns that will guide Queen City Kitchen’s next chapter.

“After 40 years, we were struggling with an overly long name and little in the way of branding,” says Lauren Moore, executive director of Queen City Kitchen. “The new suite of resources will help us as we expand our presence in the community.”

With ambitious goals of expanding services beyond Cincinnati’s urban core to reach more residents, the organization partnered with interns at LPK. Working closely with the consultancy’s creative group of interns, they developed a new brand strategy, brought to life with a modernized design that better reflects their current goals: empowering guests, inspiring volunteers and resonating with potential donors.

“The new suite of resources will help us as we expand our presence in the community.”  

Synthesizing insights gathered through on-the-ground research and conversations with key stakeholders, LPK interns developed new design assets, including a brandmark and colorful patterns, applied across myriad touchpoints, from merchandise and email templates to social media strategy and website, to drive awareness around offerings. “We were thrilled to partner with Queen City Kitchen on the development of their new brand identity,” says LPK Creative Director Amy Kletz, who led the intern team. “This work also provided a unique opportunity for our group of interns to own a real-world project from start to finish.”

To learn more about the organization, head to Queen City Kitchen.