The Dufferettes

Overview

The Dufferettes is a New Jersey-based women's golf organization that brings together players of all skill levels to enjoy the game and build community. I designed their complete brand identity pro bono, working from an unusual starting point: an AI-generated illustration the client had created themselves. The AI image—a silhouette of a woman with a golf club resting over her shoulder—provided a strong foundation, but needed refinement to become a professional, versatile logo system.

Challenge

The organization needed more than just a logo—they needed a complete identity system that could grow with them. The primary technical constraint was embroidery: much of the branding would appear on golf shirts, hats, and other apparel, which meant the design had to work at small sizes with limited thread counts. Beyond that, as a volunteer-run organization, they needed brand guidelines comprehensive enough to work with various printers and designers in the future without requiring my ongoing involvement.

Approach

Starting with the client's AI-generated illustration, I refined the silhouette by cleaning up the AI's mistakes and simplifying unnecessary details that would be problematic in embroidery. The goal was to preserve the illustration's spirit while making it technically sound for real-world applications.

I created multiple logo versions optimized for different contexts: a primary full-color version, simplified versions for small-scale embroidery, single-color variants, and lockups with and without the organization name. Each variation was designed with specific use cases in mind, ensuring the identity would work across everything from business cards to tournament banners.

The comprehensive brand guidelines I developed covered logo usage, color specifications, typography, spacing requirements, and technical specifications for embroidery. This documentation gave The Dufferettes everything they needed to maintain brand consistency as they scale, even when working with vendors who had never encountered the brand before.

Outcome

The professional branding helped elevate The Dufferettes' profile beyond the local golf community. The organization was featured on The Today Show, where meteorologist Al Roker called the logo "spectacular." The identity system continues to serve them well as they grow, working beautifully whether embroidered on a hat or printed on promotional materials. The detailed guidelines ensure they can confidently work with any printer or designer, maintaining consistency as they scale. This pro bono project delivered enterprise-level brand strategy to a grassroots community organization, demonstrating how thoughtful design can amplify a small group's impact.