Nonstop to November
2020 Virtual March on Washington
We partnered with the NAACP to create the brand, digital design system, and website for the Virtual March on Washington in August 2020.
A historic march, now virtual.
To commemorate the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech,” the NAACP needed to create a march to meet the moment.
In the wake of a tumultuous summer of protests demanding an end to police brutality, ahead of a critical presidential election, and in the midst of the global pandemic, the NAACP came to Wide Eye to create the brand and digital foundation for a virtual march: one that would build on the spirit of the past while mobilizing new generations around what Dr. King called the “fierce urgency of now.”
Past to present
We started the project by creating the visual identity, which centered on a core idea: Renew the dream. As a way of reconstructing the past while building a new way forward, we used collage to pair archival photos with vibrant images of the future, and bold colors to reference the new energy of young activists, alongside regal metallic colors and purples that serve as a reference to Dr. King.
The logo for the 2020 Virtual March on Washington makes use of a typeface named Bayard, directly inspired by the posters of the ‘60s civil rights movement, and Bayard Rustin, an organizer of the 1963 March on Washington.
Showing support, online and off
We created a range of foundational creative brand assets—including merch, social graphics, and posters—to grow a library of imagery that would allow participants to show their support and drive their own friends and family to join the event.
2020march.com
A site for action
But the Virtual March on Washington wasn’t just a moment for commemoration—it was a moment for action. The March needed to harness the energy around the national moment of racial reckoning to call for a bold National Black agenda, encourage participants to vote, and take part in the Census.
Wide Eye worked quickly to design and build an engaging site that served as an “action center,” where attendees could watch the livestream of the in-person march, and take deeper actions like registering to vote and volunteering. It also gave the organizers of the March easy, customizable ways to update the site with new content that would keep attendees coming back for news and ways to get involved.
The site was built with a special attention for maximum load speed, optimal mobile usability, and was aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards so that blind and vision impaired users would be able to effectively access the site.
2020march.com
A site for action
But the Virtual March on Washington wasn’t just a moment for commemoration—it was a moment for action. The March needed to harness the energy around the national moment of racial reckoning to call for a bold National Black agenda, encourage participants to vote, and take part in the Census.
Wide Eye worked quickly to design and build an engaging site that served as an “action center,” where attendees could watch the livestream of the in-person march, and take deeper actions like registering to vote and volunteering. It also gave the organizers of the March easy, customizable ways to update the site with new content that would keep attendees coming back for news and ways to get involved.
The site was built with a special attention for maximum load speed, optimal mobile usability, and was aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards so that blind and vision impaired users would be able to effectively access the site.
New ways to show support
We also created branded merchandise and Zoom backgrounds for the Divine Nine (nine historically Black fraternities and sororities) to support focused, online outreach efforts.
Altogether these assets helped bring the brand to life, elevating and personalizing the themes so that the event felt powerful and resonant with the younger generations of Black Americans the organizers were aiming to reach.
“The March was about asking everyone —from protesters in the streets to elected officials—to commit to pursuing a new agenda that prioritizes equity, justice, and equal opportunity for all. The collaboration with Wide Eye was instrumental in making the 2020 Virtual March a great success.”
—Aba Blankson, Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications, NAACP
The takeaway
Millions streamed the Virtual March across multiple platforms, and the site drove 59,000 people to sign up to participate, further strengthening the NAACP’s organizing efforts ahead of the election. On Instagram alone, the branded content garnered more than 500,000 engagements.
Wide Eye was proud to work alongside the NAACP for this landmark event and support their efforts to fight racial inequity during a critical moment in our nation’s history.
