
The Scratch Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the growth and accessibility of Scratch, the world's largest free coding platform for kids. Established in 2013 by Mitchel Resnick and Natalie Rusk, the foundation emerged from the MIT Media Lab's Lifelong Kindergarten Group, which originally developed Scratch. Its mission is to ensure that young people from all backgrounds have opportunities to imagine, create, and collaborate through coding and digital storytelling.
The Scratch Foundation promotes creativity, critical thinking, and equity in learning by supporting open access to the Scratch platform and community globally. It also drives educational initiatives that enable children to become confident digital creators.
The Scratch Foundation logo is consistent with the playful, approachable, and educational spirit of the Scratch platform itself. It aligns with the visual identity of Scratch, which is designed to be welcoming to children, educators, and parents. The logo effectively distinguishes the Foundation from the Scratch software while maintaining a strong brand connection.
There has not been a major redesign of the logo, as it retains a recognizable and friendly aesthetic that serves its educational mission well. The color palette and typography mirror the main Scratch brand, ensuring consistency across touchpoints.
The logo features a combination of two distinctive typefaces:
The word "SCRATCH" is written in a playful, hand-drawn display font, characterized by uneven lines and exaggerated proportions. This whimsical style conveys creativity, fun, and youthfulness. The font mimics the unpredictability and imagination of a child’s handwriting, aligning perfectly with the brand’s target audience—children and educators.
The word "FOUNDATION" is set in a simple, rounded sans-serif typeface. This grounded and clean design brings contrast and structure, adding professionalism and readability to balance the playful upper wordmark.
This combination creates visual hierarchy and ensures the name is approachable yet trustworthy.
The Scratch Foundation logo uses two primary colors:
Warm Yellow-Orange (#FFA600) for the word "SCRATCH" – a color associated with happiness, energy, and stimulation, often used in educational branding for young audiences.
Black for the word "FOUNDATION" – a neutral, strong contrast that ensures clarity and legibility.
The color contrast effectively separates the fun, child-centric identity of “Scratch” from the formal, organizational nature of the “Foundation,” while still tying them together in a cohesive visual unit.
The Scratch Foundation logo is a wordmark logo with typographic emphasis. The deliberate choice to not use icons or symbols reflects a clear and modern design philosophy, relying on the strength of typography to communicate the brand's values.
The visual language of the logo communicates:
Creativity and exploration, through its hand-drawn style
Inclusivity and friendliness, via the warm color palette
Structure and support, seen in the solid foundation text
These attributes support the brand’s role in encouraging all children to engage in creative computing in an inclusive environment.
The Scratch Foundation logo can be freely downloaded in vector formats like SVG, AI, PDF, and also in transparent PNG format from Logowik.com. These formats ensure flexibility for digital and print use, maintaining clarity and quality at any scale.
In conclusion, the Scratch Foundation logo successfully represents a brand that lives at the intersection of playful education and professional advocacy. With its bright color, childlike font, and clean contrast, the logo reinforces the foundation’s core values: empowering youth, encouraging creativity, and promoting equitable access to digital learning tools. It’s an excellent example of how thoughtful typography and color can tell a compelling brand story.