Abolish Remedial & Revolutionize Teaching

INTRODUCING YELLOW, BY PHARRELL WILLIAMS

Bold precise messaging, bright colors and expansive design are key to YELLOW's brand story

BACKGROUND

Mike served as advisor, lead strategist and startup CEO for YELLOW, the education nonprofit launched by Pharrell Williams. This work—now foundational to Firebrand’s approach—involved building the organization from the ground up: from startup strategy, operations and staffing, to brand storytelling and creative direction, to programmatic and school design.

In close collaboration with the Artemis Agency and a wide-ranging creative team, the work included development of YELLOW’s visual identity, messaging frameworks, and flagship initiatives— culminating in the launch of YELLOWHAB, a microschool reimagining education through equity, awe and imagination.

Mike led the design of multiple campaigns and signature initiatives, including Your Voice is Power, a national campaign with Amazon Future Engineer, and an eyewear collaboration with Warby Parker featuring a spirited Canary yellow nose bridge, packaged with the i am Other mission statement:

That which makes you different makes you special. Be other.

YELLOW was featured in the June 2021 edition of Town & Country.

WHY WE LOVE THIS PROJECT

The brand story of YELLOW is fresh, vibrant, and compelling, capturing the unique creative energy of Pharrell—with special turns of phrase (like “Abolish Remedial”), expansive visuals, and gradient imagery inspired by the phenomena of murmuration. This partnership was a license to build a brand and a school, as well as imagine a lot of "what if's": especially the question, what if we designed learning opportunities that were uniquely tailored to each child's differences? What if we designed through what we called the "lens of possibility"?

Uniquely impactful is YELLOW's brand lexicon, anchored by the "Five Key Priorities," a sharp and compelling message framework to succinctly communicate brand mission and purpose.

YELLOW's Five Key Priorities message framework

WHAT WE DID

The work spanned visioning, storytelling, startup infrastructure, program design and fundraising.. Mike's leadership was foundational to all attributes of YELLOW, especially:

• Startup operations

• Brand story design and comprehensive visual and verbal identity

• All message frameworks and pitch materials

• Business development and fundraising

• Strategic partnerships and campaign design

• Educational programming and school design

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YELLOW™ is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Reach out to learn more at hello@thefirebrand.co.