Artist Biography
Morgan Relyea is a senior graduating from Endicott College in Spring 2022. She will earn a BFA in Graphic Design and a minor in Communications. She is originally from a small town in Upstate New York, but plans to continue living and working as a designer in the Boston area after she graduates. Morgan has always been passionate about helping others, which can be seen in her active participation in Endicott’s Community Service Club and The Charity Craft Club. This compassion for others has manifested into a passion for social justice which can be seen in her thesis on brand activism. Morgan hopes to continue working on exciting projects that encourage her to grow and learn as a designer and as a person.
Feel free to visit her website mocrelyea.myportfolio.com to see more of her work and explore her thesis more in-depth.
You are also welcome to contact her via email at [email protected].
Thesis Abstract
The purpose of this thesis was to explore the idea of brand activism through the creation of an ethical chocolate brand. Evolve makes its chocolate using 100% ethically produced cocoa, which is a rarity in the chocolate industry. The brand takes its activism a step further by donating 50% of its profits to various social justice organizations working in the areas of race, gender, and sexuality.
Evolve uses its platform to promote various social justice organizations. Each month four organizations from each focus area (race, gender, and sexuality) are selected and the profits for that month are divided amongst the organizations evenly. The profits from each individual flavor is put towards one of the focus areas, which is indicated on the packaging. Evolve customers can vote on which organizations they would like to see the company work with next on evolve’s website.
The evolving website is also a place where customers can find more information about different social justice issues. The website has a page that highlights the brand’s current and past partners, serving as a way to introduce customers to many different organizations they might be interested in supporting. There is also a resource that serves as a jumping-off point for people to begin educating themselves further on social justice issues.
Evolve was created to be a brand people can trust, and it continually proves itself by taking concrete action in the area of social justice. It is a true activist brand because it actually takes action.