In the fall of 2020, the Office of the State Treasurer for Arizona assumed oversight of the state’s AZ529 program, a move adopted by the Arizona House and Senate and signed into law by Governor Doug Ducey this past June.

The new vision and goals set forth by State Treasurer Kimberly Yee necessitated developing a broader and more inclusive brand for the program’s identity and suite of marketing materials.

Critical to the rebranding effort was developing an identity that better reflected the variety of educational choices for which funds from an AZ529 plan can be used. It was also imperative that the brand appeal to a broader set of demographics (ages, ethnicities, income levels, etc.) to expand the appeal and, by extension, the opening of AZ529 accounts by a more diverse family of Arizonans.

Working in close collaboration with Treasurer Yee and her staff, Davidson Belluso recommended leveraging the existing color palette of the State Treasurer’s Office to clearly show the new alignment and leadership for the AZ529 program.

We then developed a grid icon to impart the variety of educational choices, (including four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, trade schools and apprenticeship programs and K-12 education) for which funds from an AZ529 plan can be used. The icon and elements within the grid will also be used as way-finding devices in other marketing materials.

With the brand identity approved, we applied it to an initial set of marketing materials, including a new landing page. The entire suite of AZ529 marketing materials is currently under study and development for implementation in early 2021.