Reclaiming Technology as a Force for Liberation

Black Tech Futures didn’t come to ANEWBrand for branding for branding’s sake. They came for space. Space to think, to interrogate systems, and to articulate a future rooted in truth rather than trend. Before visuals, before language, before execution, ANEWBrand partnered with the Black Tech Futures team to slow the process down and honor the complexity of the work ahead.

Industry

Nonprofit / Technology / Racial Equity

Challenge

Clarifying a complex, justice-driven mission without oversimplifying it

Solution

Creative Strategy & Positioning, Campaign Development, Creative Direction, Messaging, Toolkit Creation, Web Design

Objectives

We aligned with the Black Tech Futures team to define clear goals for the engagement:

Create strategic clarity before visual or creative execution
Establish a unifying idea capable of holding historical, cultural, and future-focused work
Position Black Tech Futures as stewards, builders, and advocates, not just researchers
Build a creative system that could guide storytelling over time

The Spark

The work began with a Spark Session, a facilitated working session designed to surface truth, tension, and ambition. Together, we examined history, systems, power, and possibility. This wasn’t about simplifying the work. It was about honoring its depth. Through this process, one truth became undeniable: technology is not neutral, and it should not be treated that way.

Strategic Foundation

From the Spark emerged a single-minded idea that could carry the weight of the mission: Reclaiming technology as a force for liberation. This wasn’t a slogan. It was a strategic lens. It reframed Black Tech Futures as more than a research institute and positioned them as builders of future systems rooted in Black joy, leadership, innovation, and collective power.

Creative Playbook

We translated the strategy into a Creative Playbook designed to guide expression across platforms and over time. The playbook established a clear narrative grounded in history and forward momentum, a visual language that blends archival references with future-focused cues, and imagery centered on collective power rather than singular leadership. It also provided guidance for content, video, and digital execution that feels expansive, not extractive.

Rather than prescribing assets, the playbook created alignment. It gave the organization a shared framework for moving forward with confidence, coherence, and intention.

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