Makom
Branding & Website

Reimagining a place for people with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities

Role
Lead Brand Designer

Agency
Teal Media

Creative Direction
Aruna Mall

After 40 years of growth, the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes (JFGH) had outgrown its original identity. Now offering far more than group homes—life skills, job training, and a supportive community for people with IDD—it was time for a bold rebrand.

We partnered to reimagine JFGH as Makom: a new name rooted in Jewish values, a modern visual identity reflecting its leadership, and a website designed to support families with clarity and care.

In Hebrew, Makom means “place”—and more than just a physical space, it signifies where each of us, and all of us, truly belong.  We created a new visual brand system that is flexible, approachable, and modern—a 21st century rethinking of a community that changes lives.

The logo icon embodies multiple meanings—a spark of optimism, the safety of home, celebrating individuals (dot) and also the community that supports them (rays)

 We crafted a new website for Makom to bring all of the pieces together—a declarative new name, a dynamic new visual brand, and a clear focus on helping people with IDD and the parents and caretakers who support them see themselves at Makom. 

We also designed a sub-brand and website for MyPad, a standalone program of Makom. MyPad offers the opportunity for people with IDD to live on their own in beautiful, below-market rentals in highly desirable, accessible neighborhoods.

The blocky and modular logo was inspired by building shapes, since MyPad helps to provide housing for individuals with IDD

The sub-brand fits within the overall Makom brand family, using colors from the parent brand; while also standing on its own, using a unique typeface outside of the parent brand

The brand style guide provided direction on things like photography, typography, and color usage