Designing for non-profits
One of the things I most enjoy is working with non-profit clients — it’s especially satisfying to do design that makes a difference. We specialize in this type of work and our clients include a range of organizations, from those who work with troubled youth, to those who provide food and services for the disadvantaged, to those that work with the disabled, and more. Each organization has different design needs, but there are some things that are almost always true when working with non-profits:
• They are underfunded
• They rely on part-time employees and volunteer workers
• The money that supports the organization comes from a combination of federal and state funding, grants and donations
• The programs and services each organization offers change (sometimes rapidly and repeatedly) as the funding grows, shrinks or disappears entirely
Over the years, we have developed some strategies that work within these constraints and keep an eye on the bottom-line. The most important of these is: design modularly.
We are currently working on a complete identity redesign for a local organization. Their previous collateral was created by a talented designer who made a beautiful and expensive, 16-page brochure for the organization. The individual programs and services all received full write-ups, with stats and contact information for each. The problem was that in the short time between the final design sign-off and the delivery of the printed pieces, some of the information had become dated. A program was cancelled, another renamed, and the address and phone number of one of the offices had changed. The brochures were useless, an expensive lesson was learned, and that designer was let go.
Our solution was to create a folder that is printed with the name, logo, and a brief organizational history. The folder is the most expensive piece to print, and this information won’t change. The folder has a standard horizontal pocket on the left side for letterhead with a slot in the folder pocket for a promotional CD. The right side of the folder has a vertical pocket to hold other 8½ x 11” material with a slot for a tri-fold brochure and a slot for a business card.
Each program has a separate brochure, which is printed digitally in short-runs. Because each digital brochure print run is relatively inexpensive, they only order 500-1,000 at a time and thus are able to avoid having thousands of obsolete printed pieces on hand, if (and when) the program changes. All of the different programs use the identity system and they customize it by including only the information they need.
The client is thrilled saying, “I appreciate your ability to bring some kind of sense to a really diverse group of various needs, perspectives etc. I think the way you are envisioning the website, brochures and video all working in tandem in a very easy, user- friendly format is really brilliant!” The design of each piece relates to the others, so when viewed in its entirety, there is a cohesive identity, but each piece can also stand alone, so that it’s a totally flexible and customizable package.