From tone of voice to choice of colour, a good brand identity speaks to the full scope of community perspective, and listens to the wide breadth of charity stakeholders.
Charities and NGOs face a fresh challenge when it comes to engaging disparate audiences with their branding and visual identity. Unlike most for-profit brands, movements and causes led by people making change instead of money call for a wholly different approach to branding – there’s a need to focus on the full scope of stakeholder buy-in and input; clear brand articulation that extends beyond a logo, and an emphasis on the value of branding as a living and breathing accompaniment to an organisation doing good.
Clear brand articulation helps to align ambition with action, bringing together different departments, people, and perspectives to have one clear vision of the purpose of their brand, and to establish the intention of the problem they’re trying to solve. We see it happen all the time, but a logo can’t be created in isolation – successful and sustainable branding looks like a community of assets that speak to each other in constant creative dialogue. By crafting a solid identity you begin to unify a cause, communicating what the campaign represents for everyone involved, whilst helping to build a brand with depth and meaning.
“Successful and sustainable branding looks like a community of assets that speak to each other in constant creative dialogue.”
Abb-d Taiyo
The communities that create movements are not a monolith, with each and every person involved in not-for-profits having unique, often conflicting, opinions. Successful branding for charities and not-for-profits appeals to both policy makers and people on-the-ground, inspiring tangible change through the power of impact-driven and purpose-led design and branding. Creating a brand in the sector calls for a deft grasp of dynamic design and strategy, taking into account the vast breadth of lived experience and perspective that makes up their audience, and creating a visual language that appreciates, accommodates, and celebrates those inputs and outcomes.
