Updated Brand Unifies Social Service Organization with 3 Locations


Grafton Featured Image

CLIENT: Grafton

Providing services for people with a range of mental disabilities including autism, Grafton School was perceived as the last resource for help. With three locations in Virginia, the organization was calling out to be rebranded as a regional powerhouse in behavioral healthcare. Red Rooster Group repositioned Grafton as a centralized source for hope in the Mid-Atlantic region. We updated an old tagline and introduced a new visual look.

Brand Architecture

Our research uncovered that one of Grafton’s strengths, the specialized expertise and dedication of its staff, was not being conveyed. We shortened the official name of Grafton School to Grafton and established a brand hierarchy to unify the organization’s four locations under one brand name.

Grafton Logo

Grafton Logos

 

Brand Manual

We created a brand manual to explain the brand – what the organization stands for — and specifies colors, typefaces, graphics  and guidelines for the brand. This has allowed the client manage their own brand effectively.

Grafton Brand Manual

Website

After a strategic assessment of competitors and the users, we redesigned the website around the needs of the users. The redesign has been receiving rave reviews. grafton.org

Grafton Website

Newsletter

Grafton’s internal newsletter to its 700 employees at their three locations keeps employees informed and generates enthusiasm for the organization.

Grafton Newsletter

Display

A flexible system of interchangeable panels helps make their display adaptable for fairs, attracting potential students and employees.


Are you hiding your message from your donors?

Are you hiding your message from your donors?
In today’s environment, it is more critical than ever to have your communications be as crisp and targeted as possible. In his article, The Dance of the Four Veils, Tom Ahern describes the hinderances to communications. I would add a fourth veil: that of poor design, a factor which is often overlooked by nonprofits.
Poor design hinders your communication in many ways. When your reader doesn’t know what to look at first on your website or newsletter, or can’t focus on your message because of the distracting formatting, you are doing a dis-service your communications.
A strong design will lead lead your reader through your message in the sequence you want, including getting the full emotional impact from well-selected images, to understanding the impact, through your writing, to connecting with your brand, through your colors and overall attitude conveyed.
Don’t let design be the overlooked element that hinders readers from connecting with your cause
Veil Number One: Avoiding Conflict at All Costs
Veil Number Two: A Tendency toward Weak, Bland Language Rather Than Bold, Vivid Words
Veil Number Three: Faint Appreciation for the Emotional Basis of Human Response
Veil Number Four: Relying on Jargon
The Dance of the Four Veils
http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1410:the-dance-of-the-four-veils&catid=150:from-the-archives

In today’s environment, it is more critical than ever to have your communications be as crisp and targeted as possible. In his article, The Dance of the Four Veils, Tom Ahern describes four hinderances to communications. I would add a fifth veil: that of poor design, a factor which is often overlooked by nonprofits.Continue reading