+ Black Girls Code
Empowering a New Generation withBlack Girls Code
Our roles
Overview
Black Girls Code (BGC) approached us with a bold mission: to amplify their role in equipping Black and Brown girls and gender-expansive youth to lead in tech. Over the years, BGC has evolved beyond coding camps into a lifelong ecosystem of mentorship, empowerment, and leadership.
The challenge? The brand needed to reflect this evolution. It had to clarify BGC’s mission, increase visibility, and resonate across a wide audience—students (ages 10-25), parents, educators, and donors alike. We needed a dynamic identity that was participatory, culturally significant, and symbolic of the collective effort to rewrite the tech narrative for underrepresented communities.
The challenge? The brand needed to reflect this evolution. It had to clarify BGC’s mission, increase visibility, and resonate across a wide audience—students (ages 10-25), parents, educators, and donors alike. We needed a dynamic identity that was participatory, culturally significant, and symbolic of the collective effort to rewrite the tech narrative for underrepresented communities.
Why This Matters
Only 3% of the computing workforce is Black women. The urgency of BGC’s mission cannot be overstated. This rebrand isn’t just a celebration—it’s a declaration of action, challenging systemic barriers and championing the power of representation and inclusion.
OUR APPROACH
At Pastilla, we believe a brand is more than a logo—it’s an emotion, a promise, and a reflection of its community. We kicked off the project with an in-depth discovery phase, engaging over 230 stakeholders, including students, parents, staff, and donors. This listening phase revealed key insights about BGC’s impact, audience perceptions, and opportunities for growth.
Inspired by quilting—a deeply rooted tradition in Black culture that symbolizes resilience, storytelling, and community—we developed a participatory design system. Like quilting, where every patch tells a story, our design allows students to contribute their own artwork, weaving their narratives into a collective “digital quilt” of innovation.
Black Girls Code is building confident, emotionally grounded innovators ready to reshape the industry.
THE DESIGN
A Flexible System: The identity adapts to BGC’s wide age range, with playful, simple elements for younger audiences and more intricate motifs for older students. The graphics evolve alongside the students, reflecting their journey from tech curiosity to mastery.
Vibrant Orange: In a sea of tech brands relying on cool tones, we chose orange to stand out and celebrate joy, optimism, and belonging. It’s a color that invites confidence and signals that BGC owns its space.
Participatory Elements: Students aren’t just represented by the brand—they build it. The design system allows them to visually contribute to the identity, owning their journey and reinforcing the community-driven spirit of BGC.
THE LAUNCH
We unveiled the new brand at AfroTech 2024, one of the largest gatherings celebrating Black innovators in tech, with over 25,000 attendees. The response? Electric. The bold, vibrant visuals and participatory design system captured attention and excitement, setting the stage for deeper engagement, partnerships, and support.
The bold, vibrant visuals and participatory design system of the Black Girls Code rebrand captured attention and excitement.
THE IMPACT
The rebrand has already begun reshaping how people view and engage with Black Girls Code. It increases visibility, strengthens the sense of community, and positions BGC as a leader in tech equity. Early indicators show increased engagement, partnerships, and funding opportunities, ensuring that BGC stands out in a crowded tech space. As implementation expands, the new brand lays the foundation for long-term growth—reinforcing BGC’s mission to prepare one million Black and Brown girls for leadership in tech by 2040.
