I’m thrilled to announce I’ve joined the amazing team at HIGOL (High Impact Growth Oriented Leaders), a boutique consulting practice that works with CEOs and team leaders of high performing nonprofit organizations. As an associate consultant I’ll be drawing on 20+ years of experience helping nonprofit organizations gain visibility and support by uncovering their authentic brand through…
I wish a successful brand strategy was like coming home after a long flight and as you’re walking through the airport terminal pulling your luggage, you see friends, family, customers and clients all lined up, holding signs that say “congratulations, you made it!” and “job well done!” and “your brand rocks!” The reality is that…
Many of my branding clients approach me initially because they’re unhappy with their website. “My website needs an update – it’s too vanilla/too corporate/doesn’t represent everything I do and offer.“ But the website is only (probably) the most outwardly visible sign of your brand. Let’s dig a little deeper – and in the words of…
HOW Design Live is one of the largest annual gatherings of creative professionals in the world. In the past I’ve been an attendee and a speaker, but this year in Chicago I made a special appearance in the Expo Hall by doing live graphic recording. At an “Interaction Wall” I captured attendees’ thoughts in response…
Julia was great at keeping the conversation focused and not swaying opinions and worked great with both our internal team and our clients. She was organized and professional – not to mention, clients really enjoyed the workshopping process. I was hired by an award-winning creative graphic design agency in New Jersey this past year. Two…
I’ve spent most of my professional life involved in visual communications, but that’s not what I studied as an undergrad (environmental education, at Hampshire College) because I didn’t even know what graphic design was then, and I was terribly intimidated by the “art students”. By my late twenties I had taken a single life-transforming class…
Do you sometimes feel your nonprofit is having an identity crisis – like one of your programs or events is more well-known than the organization itself? If the public recognizes the event or program, but not the organization that has worked so hard to make it a familiar success, this can be a problem —…
Brand Personality is the visible and outward manifestation of your brand [CLICK TO TWEET], in subtle and obvious ways – everything from the copy on your website, to your logo, to the signage in the window. When your organization’s brand is defined in this way, your community will more easily be able to connect with you –…
A few years ago, a small performing arts organization in California was having an identity crisis. They were asking themselves the question: Who are we – really?! Background Pacific Crest Youth Arts Organization was founded in 1993. Back then they didn’t want to be known only as a drum and bugle corps, an organization that…
Knowing who you are as an organization and how you are perceived is a critical part of the branding process. Once you’ve got a handle on your mission, vision, values, and messages (congrats!), you’ll want to start disseminating your brand identity to the world. But do you really know who you’re trying to reach? A…
