Gurls Talk gets a rebrand reflecting its decade-long commitment to mental health and wellbeing

The community-led organisation Gurls Talk has undergone a rebrand by the cross-disciplinary studio, Mestiza Estudio. Founded by model, actor and activist Adwoa Aboah in 2015, the non-profit has long been a provider of resources and a safe space for the wellbeing and mental health of adolescent girls and young women. The rebrand encompasses a new logo, identity and web design, enhancing the experience of both its retained audience and ushering in a new wave.

Mestiza was founded during the thick of Covid by Monica Urquijo Zobel, born from collaboration and rooted in artful experimentation. “Teaming up with others and creating an ecosystem of creatives who all bring a piece to the table,” says Tanya Salami, a designer at the studio. “And our underlying ethos? We push the old saying ‘think outside of the box’ – we live outside of the box,” she adds. Creating a bespoke experience for every one of their clients, it has a particular specialism in handmade designs that push the boundaries of identities and spotlight the fringe visuals hailing from the cultures of the designers in the studio – from Spain to The Philippines and Mexico.

In true Mestiza fashion, this rebrand had collaboration at its helm; working together to understand the true why behind Gurls Talk’s desire for a fresh look. “And the what, which we knew was a range of design collateral. We knew these elements had to fit together without losing its range,” Tanya shares. Together with the Gurls Talk team, they conceptualised an opportunity for the rebrand to act as a reflection on the organisation’s milestones over the past 10 years, while also looking forward to its ambitions. “Namely to become internationally trusted and an influence on the culture of mental health at large,” says Giuliana Mazzetta, strategy director at Mestiza.

“Founding the project in an in-depth strategy sprint, we worked closely to define the core values of the organisation, spanning hope, fearlessness, honesty, and the purpose of creating safe spaces,” Giuliana shares. This took the form of a deep dive into their projects both online and offline, refreshing its blueprint and “DNA” before working with the design team to reflect this outlook visually. “We were lucky enough to work with the calligrapher Vivien Hoffmann, who helped to realise our vision with a bespoke wordmark,” Monica tells us. This manifests as a nostalgic imprint on a time when adolescent girls were doodling in journals and sketchbooks, anchoring Gurls Talk as a community with much personality.