By Tony Manfredi
Art and creativity make our lives better.
Full stop.
It’s the reason the Nevada legislature created our organization in 1967. We exist to bring art and creative opportunities to every Nevadan, no matter where they live. It’s a mandate that our team executes on every day and that our organization embodies, but our brand didn’t fully reflect that. If you think of a brand as the personality and the logo as the face, we felt mismatched. Our outward symbols didn’t represent who we were and what we cared about. They didn’t feel like us.
It was time to change that. It was time for a rebrand.
Timing is everything
So, why did I wait nine years into my tenure as Executive Director to rebrand the Nevada Arts Council? In a word, priorities. Developing a meaningful brand takes time and thoughtfulness. Before investing in a public-facing brand, I needed to understand my organization inside and out, its strengths, its challenges, and the needs of our state, as well as the role the Council plays, or could play, in the lives of Nevadans. It was important to ensure we were operating as a unified organization. Taking the time required for this process was essential.
In April 2025, we’d been working with our marketing partner, Estipona Group, for more than a year. During that time, they got to know us well and saw how our brand needed to work out in the world—the tools we needed, messages we were trying to convey, and challenges we faced. I believe the combination of understanding our organization deeply and seeing it objectively from the outside led to such a successful rebrand.
Embracing the process
We live in a world that expects instant results, but meaningful brand development takes time. Because of my background in branding and graphic design, I understood the need to invest in the process from the outset—time, energy, and focus. And to be transparent, I absolutely love the process. I love the self-reflection; I love the collaboration; I love the intentionality of every step.
This rebrand did not happen overnight. It was 12 months from our first discussion to our brand reveal at the Intersections Creative Conference in Las Vegas in May of 2026. As you watch the video below, you’ll get a taste of the research, symbolism, and thoughtfulness that went into this rebrand. Every pixel is intentional. The video gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. For me, the result proves the value of this intentional process. I am over the moon with our new brand.
A few of my takeaways:
- Make time for thoughtful collaboration.
- Balance strategy with creativity.
- Leave your ego outside—but take pride in the work
Know yourself & recognize your blind spots
Early in the brand discovery with Estipona Group, their team asked me how bold I wanted to be with the rebrand. On a scale of 1—10, was this to be an evolution of our existing brand or a revolution? I didn’t pause. I said go to 11! Throughout the process—as we moved through briefs and moodboards, sketches and logo drafts—when I would drift back to my comfort zone and familiar conventions, they reminded me that you don’t get to an 11 by making safe decisions. I needed to embrace a new way of thinking about our brand. Estipona Group brought valuable objectivity to the process that kept us all moving toward a well-defined goal.
Do you need a rebrand?
The status quo can be a comfortable place, but we don’t grow by being complacent. Ask: Does your brand reflect who you are today? Does it communicate what makes your organization valuable? Does it connect with the people you’re trying to serve? A rebrand isn’t about change for the sake of change. It’s about making sure your identity supports your mission.
I hope Nevadans see themselves and our unique state reflected in this new brand and recognize the role the arts play in strengthening every community in our state. If this process encourages other organizations to invest more intentionally in how they communicate their purpose, that’s an added benefit. Because when people better understand your mission, they’re more likely to become part of it.