Now more than 50 years since Nellie’s first opened its doors in 1973, we’re excited to unveil a brand new look. While we’ve long been known as a crisis organization for women and their children escaping violence, today we’re also focusing on how we can work to move the needle forward in breaking the cycle of gender-based violence. The Nellie’s we are today is simultaneously strengthening our core services, while also taking concrete action to change the environment.
We’re “more than a shelter” and our new branding will better reflect all of the facets of our organization. Today we’re launching a brand-new website, an innovative new logo and tagline, as well as a revised mission statement, vision, and values — all of which speaks to the Nellie’s of today, and of the future. As we move into our second half-century, these transformative changes in our language and visual identity feel essential in both refining our goals and setting new priorities as an organization focused on creating a world free of gender-based violence.
Moving toward not just providing crisis services, but also to disrupting the environment, isn’t a sudden change of thinking for Nellie’s. We’ve been working to break the cycles of violence at a systems level for years. And, a few years ago, we began acting preventatively in order to support women and their children fighting for a better future by running empowerment self-defense programs in our shelter and in the community. By aligning our language and visual identity, they more accurately reflect not only who we are but also who we’re working to become.
The story behind our new logo
One of the most exciting and immediately noticeable parts of our rebranding is our new, more modern logo. The new Nellie’s logo design is inspired by the versatile nature of the apostrophe, drawing on its symbolic significance in language and communication. The use of abstract patterns and multiple apostrophes aims to convey a multi-faceted representation.
The apostrophe represents ownership, underlining the client’s distinctive presence and agency of their own being.
The punctuation may also be seen as an end quote, which signifies expression and having a voice.
Additionally, the shape may also resemble a pause or comma, and signifies a moment of reflection and rejuvenation — highlighting our commitment to balance, acknowledgment, and support.
Finally, the logo itself is a graphic comprised of the wordmark with the 2 Ls creating a roof-like shape that pays tribute to Nellie’s historical past as (solely) a shelter.
Overall, this design captures the essence of empowerment, individuality, and the shared journey toward progress in a visually compelling and meaningful way.
We’re thrilled to share our new look and messaging with you, and can’t wait to hear your feedback. We invite you to continue to explore our new website to learn more about the new Nellie’s, our services, and how you can help us support women in our community. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for all the latest updates — you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.