Spectrum Designs launches rebranding, created by neurodiverse talent

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Spectrum Designs is launching a rebranding campaign, just in time for Autism Awareness Month.

The custom apparel and promotional products business headquartered in Port Washington creates employment and vocational training opportunities for neurodiverse workers, an often underemployed group.

At the heart of Spectrum’s rebrand is Kelli Fisher, who joined Spectrum nearly five years ago, and now serves as the organization’s marketing and development specialist.

Fisher came up with the idea behind the rebranding campaign.

Its first commercial starts with a box, spotlit against a black background.

“This is how the world sees people on the autism spectrum: We’re all the same,” Fisher says in the ad. Then she lifts the box up, emerging from underneath, and says, “We’re not. Trust me.” The next scene shows Fisher in Spectrums’ shirt factory, and says, “Spectrum Design sees the real me.”

It’s people like Fisher who built Spectrum, where more than half of its 77 employees are on the autism spectrum, helping it reach a record $5.5 million in sales. The company’s client roster includes Lady Gaga’s Borth This Way Foundation, J.Crew, Bethpage Federal Credit Union and others, according to Spectrum.

That growth comes at a time when as many as 85% of adults on the autism spectrum are unemployed or underemployed, according to Autism Speaks, an organization that aims to create an inclusive world for all individuals with autism throughout their lifespan.

Spectrum’s rebranding aims to help inspire new opportunities for the neurodiverse.

The rebranding is designed to show that Spectrum is “a company made up of people” on the autism spectrum, said Patrick Bardsley, Spectrum’s cofounder and CEO. He hoped that the rebranding would “move the needle” and prompt other employers to consider “why wouldn’t I hire someone with a disability?”

During the rebranding positioning process, “Kelly was one of the leads, creating the best ideas that came out of it,” Bardsley said.

“It’s a really inspiring message,” he added.

“People assume things about people on the spectrum, and put them in a box,” Fisher said. “But once you meet us, you see we’re all so different in strengths and interest. Everyone has their strengths and talents.”

And, she said, “it made me feel great that they wanted to use my idea.”

After graduating from Johnson and Wales University, Fisher joined Spectrum more than four years ago after facing a series of job interview rejections.

“I went on a job interview for a company I loved – it was a fitness company, and I knew everything about it,” Fisher said. “Within five minutes, the guy told me he can’t hire me because I don’t make eye contact.”

That experience, she said, “was very upsetting,” but she knew “that he’s missing out on someone that is probably a great asset.”

Fisher joined Spectrum, first working at Spectrum Bakes and Spectrum Suds, and was promoted nearly a year ago to her current role as marketing and development specialist after leaders at the organization took note of how she always advocated for the organization on social media, she said.

“I’ve loved every minute of it,” she said, about working at Spectrum.

In addition to launching the new rebranding campaign, Spectrum on Monday hosted an open house, with a flag-raising, featuring a flag created by former employee Joshua Mirsky, who designed the first neurodiversity flag for New York State.