What Drives DK May Help You
What Drives Me
Nonprofit organizations are often motivated by crisis – to effect change, provide needed services, to inspire and encourage people, to educate. But they are (understandably) so busy developing and running these programs that they don’t take a circumspect approach to the development of their own identity. Fuzzy, undeveloped branding (unfortunately) holds back their otherwise healthy organization. This is where I come in to coach the group through its crisis which I assure them, as the cliche goes, has created an opportunity.
I know this through observation: I have, over the last 35 years consulted with many nonprofits on branding (see About DK for a partial list of clients), started several nonprofit organizations, been on nonprofit boards, volunteered and participated, reaped the benefits of the good works of others: And the organizations I have known which are the most fragile are consistently the ones who have paid the least attention to their brand identity.
We all put up barriers to change – it’s human nature. Here are some of the dilemmas that I have observed that social causes struggle with when deciding on how to proceed in creating their branded design programs. Any look familiar?
Conundrum 1
Social causes can’t afford good designers, yet most would benefit from good design.
A Solution: We received an Ideas that Matter grant to produce the first annual report for the Literacy Assistance Center. Another year we got a grant to produce materials for the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s exhibition Who Made You Look. The same for Green Map Systems.
Conundrum 2
A lot of design looks too expensive and glossy for nonprofits, yet the designs that nonprofits use must be impressive to be effective.
A Solution: We created a lively yet dignified annual report on a limited budget that got rave reviews and results and became a major development and image tool for the Bowery Residents Committee. The same for the Literacy Assistance Center.
And Now for a Word from the Audience
Carolyn Morgan, Director and Head of Design at Carolyn Morgan Design in Queensland, Australia wrote to me recently,
“Your book on branding [Branding for Nonprofits] has been a Godsend!
Even though I’ve been in the design business for over 40 years, I’ve struggled with many small to medium size business clients on low budgets who have never been involved in a branding exercise before. Despite my best efforts to guide them through the process, they invariably lose confidence and become defensive when we try to keep the work on track (I loved Jane Zusi’s “frankensteining” comment in the book).
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been designing a new brand identity for a club about to undergo an major refurbishment. Neither the Manager nor his assistant know anything about either interior design or branding. The job reached crisis point for us last week so I suggested his PA read your book in an effort to help me get the project back on track. To her credit, this young lady was so impressed with the book that she was able to convince her boss to read it too.
Thanks to you, we now have a very happy Manager who is enjoying his role as Brand Leader.”
Conundrum 3
The nonprofit says: Our message is fragmented so we have nothing to hand a designer to work with. And we don’t have the time or resources to organize materials.
Here’s an object lesson. I knew I wanted my business card to act as a mini resume because what I offer is a unique and complex service. And yet the card had to be very simple and organized. Adding my photo was important because it’s a lot easier to remember a face than a name. The biggest challenge was doing this on two sides of a 4” x 3” card. That was tough! But it has paid me back for my effort a thousand times.
The best thing: the 13-cent story—100 cards cost $13 (printed on my Epson printer on a pre-perforated, off-the-shelf card). This is a very important message I give nonprofits: Good design is not expensive when you start with a good idea!
So what drives me is the knowledge that I can help and that, by helping, this NPO will be able to do greater good. It’s the ultimate win win situation.
Can you think of another problem that suggested the solution? Please send it to me at dkh@dkholland.com. You won’t win any prizes but I will consider any worthy entries for inclusion (fully attributed, of course) on these pages.