Branding for Nonprofits

Gravity Group’s Creative Director, Christian Perritt, presented “Branding for Nonprofits” as part of the Nonprofit Institute’s Lunch and Learn series today at James Madison University. He explained the difference between brand and brand identity and used stories and case studies to show how nonprofits and businesses alike can build their brand and reach their audience. Great job, Christian!

If your nonprofit needs some one-on-one brand and marketing attention, enter Gravity Group’s 2012 Brand Challenge. One lucky organization will receive a FREE brand and marketing solution, tailored to meet its specific needs! Entries will be accepted online through February 29th.

What’s my logo supposed to do, anyway?

So you’ve decided it’s time for a new logo.  You’ve picked a designer, you’ve started to review design concepts…and then something funny happens.  You become lost.  Designs start to look the same, you lose track of which designs you’ve changed and which you haven’t.  It can even become hard to realize why you did or didn’t like a design in the first place.  Why did this happen?  Because, in a complex process like this, it’s easy to lose sight of very basic things – like what a logo is and isn’t supposed to do.

Always keep in mind that, at the end of the day, a logo is just another tool in your messaging toolbox.  Now, that doesn’t mean that a logo isn’t important - far from it!  Designing (or redesigning) brand identity is one of the most important processes a company or organization can undertake.  I simply mean that, because the importance of logos is sometimes overstressed, it’s easy to forget that a logo is a tool like any other - with specific purposes and guidelines for success.  

The secret to maintaining perspective on the purpose and function of a logo is to keep in mind the most important element in the brand identity equation – your audience.  Like all of your messaging tools, your logo’s primary function is to help “tell your story” to your audience.  Let’s look at our handy Messaging Pyramid to see where a logo fits in this process - 

There it is – right at the top.  Does that mean it’s the most important of all these tools?  Not necessarily.  This pyramid more sketches out where these tools fit in the process of telling your story, and how much of your story they’re supposed to tell. 

For starters, let’s look at the logo’s location on this pyramid –

That “point” at the top is both literal and figurative.  It’s literal in that it indicates that your logo is often at the tip – the very front – of messaging for your audiences.  It’s usually the first thing they see, and many of your other messaging tools are affected by it – from the colors used on your website to the graphics used on your letterhead.

That is also a figurative “point” – it’s the “entry point” into your brand.  It’s the “foyer” of your messaging.  And, like a foyer, your logo can only hold so much.  It’s a very delicate balance:  it can’t try to say too much, or it will be too cumbersome for the timeframe in which it’s supposed to make an impact (just a second or so).  It also can’t say to little (or be too vague), in that it won’t make an impact at all.

Your logo is supposed to relate on a gut level – encapsulating the very essence of what makes your company special.  No more, no less.  Anything less means you’ve got a pretty design that doesn’t really say anything about who you are.  And trying to say anything more is the job of messaging tools further down the pyramid – your tagline, ad copy, and so on.  

Revisiting this pyramid and these parameters can help you in your logo design journey.  You’ll start to see which designs are “trying too hard”, and which are just design for design’s sake.  Remember – if it’s not telling the right part of your story in the right way, it may be time to go back to the “brand identity drawing board”. 

We’re kicking off our 2012 Brand Challenge

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since we kicked off our first “official” Brand Challenge. We’re excited with the results from 2011, where we collaborated with that year’s winner, NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center (if you haven’t seen the before and after, check it out here).  Working with NewBridges was so rewarding and fun, and we can’t wait to begin working with another exciting local nonprofit this year!

Haven’t heard of the Brand Challenge?
The Brand Challenge is our way of supporting a small nonprofit in our community by developing a brand and/or marketing solution tailored specifically to them. Because every organization is different, we customize the prize to the nonprofit, giving them help exactly where they need it the most.

Who’s eligible?
Small, local nonprofits that primarily serve Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.

How do I enter?
Entering is easy. Nominate your nonprofit by completing a brief entry form on our website. Entries will be accepted through February, and we’ll select a winner in March.

Don’t Forget the “Experience” Part of Your Brand Experience

My husband and I recently went on a cruise for our 10-year anniversary.  I was looking forward to a week of pampering and eating delicious foods of all kinds.  We had explored the ship’s shops and activities, as well as mapped out our excursions on the cruise line’s website, so we were ready to go!  Unfortunately, between the 5-hour boarding delay, the lackluster food that often ran out, and the staff who seemed annoyed to be talking to us, we now equate the cruise line’s brand with “cheap, uncaring jerks.”  And my husband and I have told our story to everyone who will listen.  Our unofficial tagline for the cruise line was “Paying to wait,” as that is what we spent much of our vacation doing.  I understand that delays and other unforeseen things can happen.  But how you respond to those problems makes all the difference to your customers.  If we had been presented with any food or drink while we sat in a crowded tent waiting for our ship to arrive, I would likely be telling people about how the cruise line went to the extra effort to make sure we were comfortable during a long wait.  We would have started out with a more positive perception of the cruise line and probably would have been more accepting of the other bumps along the way.

As we start a new year, I want to encourage all of our business friends to pay special attention to the “experience” part of your brand experience in the coming year.  Yes, a strong brand identity, sticky messaging, and easy-to-use website tools are all very important to engaging potential customers with your brand.  But what happens once they set foot in your store, talk to your staff, purchase your products/services, or need help after a sale?  These are “make or break” opportunities to earn a loyal customer or an angry discontent.  Which one do you want talking to their friends about your brand? 

In an economy where more businesses are competing on price, make sure your company stands out by treating your customers like VIPs, because they are!  And they will remember that when it is time to purchase again.  A good example of how to show appreciation for customers came from one of our clients this past summer.  Frazier Quarry hosted monthly BBQs during the spring and summer, providing a free hot lunch for all of the drivers who came through the quarry.  They could stop and chat with Frazier Quarry’s sales team and owners or take their lunch to go in a Frazier Quarry insulated lunch bag.  Word of the lunches got back to managers and owners, as Frazier Quarry received calls and emails of appreciation – which also opened up discussion on new construction jobs and requests for stone.

Make a resolution to provide the best service and most enjoyable experience you can for your customers and they’ll keep coming back.  From a friendly “how can we help you?” and expert assistance to helpful follow-ups and customer rewards, don’t forget these simple, yet important ways to build brand loyalty.

2011 Brand Challenge Results

Gravity Group selected NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center as the winner of its 2011 Brand Challenge earlier this year. Since then, we’ve had the pleasure of working with NewBridges to develop a fresh brand identity - including a logo and tagline - as well as a brochure, a social media strategy, and more.

NewBridges provides a valuable service to our community, so we wanted to help them increase their awareness and to better tell their story to their clients, donors, and volunteers.  We started with their brand identity – the NewBridges logo featured a very literal representation of a bridge, without any color or other elements that helped tell their story.  We wanted their new logo to represent the human side of NewBridges, showing how the organization brings people, resources, and communities together.

The “bridge” in the new logo evolved to be comprised of seven “stones” of varying shades of color that represent a number of elements - steps in a journey, many types of people (different races, different cultures, different beliefs), etc..  Additionally, we upgraded the look of the name “NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center” with a bold new font to represent the stability and reliability of NewBridges to the people they serve.

The next component of NewBridges’ brand identity we developed was a new tagline - “Connecting cultures, building community”.  This descriptive tag represents how NewBridges works to bring many different cultures and types of people together to build a community in which differences are respected and celebrated.

Along with these new elements of Brand ID, we developed a Brand Standards Manual (outlining logo usage, colors, brand personality, etc.) as well as a social media strategy and other templates to help NewBridges personnel spread their own story.

I’ve really enjoyed working with Alicia, the Director of NewBridges, over the past few months, and am excited to see the reaction that their new brand identity receives from their clients, donors and volunteers.

Do you know a nonprofit that would benefit from the services mentioned above? Encourage them to apply for Gravity Group’s 2012 Brand Challenge. More information will be available on our website soon – stay tuned for details!