Tips on building a brand with constraints

From following a style guide to finding the right design partner to working with budget constraints, the elefint team has pointers for any nonprofit team looking to get their re-brand underway.

Step 1: Establish a great partnership

Developing a great brand first requires a great design partnership; one who understands your needs and preferences and can tailor the design process accordingly.

Your ideal design partner will:

• Understand your goals and those of your target audiences
• Create an action plan together
• Establish a focused design direction based on strategic insights
• Have defined processes to bring your ideas to life in an organized way
• Introduce creative ways to bring your brand to life within budget

Step 2: Create a consistent brand across all platforms

If you run a non-profit, you’re probably well aware of the limitations you face when it comes to branding and marketing. Trying to achieve a consistent and professional look, feel, and tone across all communication platforms may seem like a daunting and costly challenge but with the right expertise and guidance, it’s definitely possible!

At elefint, we specialize in branding for non-profit organizations, and we understand the constraints you’re working with. As a small but mighty team, we get it, and are often wearing many hats just like you. We’ve developed a branding process specifically for nonprofits to help you make the most of your time, resources and ultimately achieve a powerful brand that engages and builds trust with your target audiences.

Step 3: Follow your style bible

Style guides and brand books are essential artifacts for keeping your brand consistent. These guides contain standards for how to use the elements of your brand: color palette(s), logo usage, content and messaging, image selection and usage. Style guides are invaluable in ensuring new materials stay on-brand and in-line with your organization’s strategy. At elefint, we create thoughtful style guides and brand books and, more importantly, teach you how to use them, so you and your team–now and in the future–are fully prepared to maintain a consistent and focused brand.  

Constraints make creative processes C R E A T I V E!

Don’t be put off by the constraints you might face as a non-profit. Rebranding is an exciting and unique process that, with the right design partner, can be both enjoyable, eye-opening and successful. Constraints can actually foster creativity and lead to incredible outcomes. For example, here’s a project we worked on for Women’s Funding Network in just 3 weeks. Knowing how to work with constraints is one way to ensure a smoother and powerful branding process.

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