opaque taking bold action
March 2012 Issue 001
Designing for social change. Making smart design central to non-profits Using design as a tool for the greater good Design consumerism Are designers guilty of following trends?
March 21, 2012 | $6.95 www.opaquemag.ca
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taking bold action premiere issue
OPAQUE | March 21, 2012 | Issue 1 100 McCaul St. 6th Floor, Toronto OpaqueMag.com | 647.893.7504
Editor-in-Cheif | Barbara Solowan Art Director | Daniel Francavilla Publisher | OCAD University
May 2012
Contents Making smart design central to non-profits
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smart design
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web design
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reader survey
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citizen designer
When people in the nonprofit world refer to design, they mean the process behind creating a website or logo. But to Matt Scharpnick, design is central to how they communicate and serve people.
How to connect and inspire action online Charities face many of the same challenges as businesses – but they also need to show their supporters that they are being savvy with their money and not wasting funds that could go toward their cause.
Embracing design and serving others Which nonprofits are embracing smart design to communicate and serve others? Readers were asked to share which organizations are effectively using design in their operations.
Guilty of design consumerism? Should designers adhere to needs and wants of consumers and clients? Should designers be innovating and creating styles for consumers? Where can, and should, we draw the line between the two? Should designers follow trends for needs and wants of consumers, or should we be trying harder to educate the client? Should we be designing for social change?
13 New look for TCF RE
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The Community Foundation revealed a new look, by an ad agency, to better communicate their mission and where they would like to be in the future.
14 Design for good
Why design? Why do we designers do what we do? What can it achieve? Why design for good? What benefit to planet, profit and especially, people?
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smart design
Making smart design central to non-profits Peter Panepento explores benefits smart design has on causes When most people in the nonprofit world refer to design, they mean the process behind creating a Web site or logo. But to Matthew Scharpnick, chief strategy officer at Elefint Designs, a company in San Francisco that works primarily with nonprofits and businesses focused on the social good, design is central to how nonprofits communicate and serve people. Nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity and Teach for America have made design a central part of their operations—and they have grown considerably as a result, he says. Habitat for Humanity, for example, has designed a program that makes it easy for volunteers who are interested in taking part in day-long service projects. “Habitat has a clearly defined and well articulated mission that anyone can understand—we build homes for people—and has made it easy for anyone to participate in a project that has immediate and tangible results,” Mr. Scharpnick says. “Habitat has managed to elevate itself to a category of service in many people’s minds.” And it has done so using design that extends throughout its operations. “If nonprofits can embrace all aspects of design, from branding and strategy to visual and user experience, they can build strong brands that quickly convey their values in a meaningful and compelling way,” he says.
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What can nonprofits learn from businesses like Apple and Virgin America, which make design part of everything they do? And what are your favorite examples of nonprofit groups that have made design central to what they do? In the coming weeks, we’d like to start a conversation about how nonprofit groups can embrace smart design. To help get things going, Mr. Scharpnick has offered to donate his services to help a Chronicle reader develop an informational graphic that highlights his or her organization’s work. To qualify for this contest, please share your favorite example of a nonprofit that understands design, and include your thoughts about how that organization is putting design to use. You can post your example in the comments field below. Mr. Scharpnick will select the most interesting and creative answer as the winner of the free graphic.
Habitat for Humanity has made design a central part of operations with consistent branding of programs
If non-profits can embrace all aspects of design, they can build strong brands that quickly convey their values in a meaningful and compelling way.
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web design
Connect emotionally and inspire action online Positive Studio Team discusses both the limitations and advantages of working with charities Charities face many of the same challenges as profit-making businesses – they have very tight budgets and a strong obligation to their stakeholders. But they also need to show their supporters that they are being savvy with their money and not wasting funds that could be directed at their cause. The charity sector is highly competitive, with millions of charities competing for donations and involvement (regardless of whether their values or missions are aligned), which means the competitive set for a charity is vast and it is crucial that a charity stands out from the crowd if they are going to make a return online. However, the level of marketing expertise can sometimes be lower than you would find in for-profit businesses, as charities often recruit staff who are passionate about their cause rather than those who have a traditional marketing background. They also have complex departmental structures that all need to be represented and are all vying for the same budgets. This can lead to a situation where there is no holistic marketing strategy and individual departments want to act in isolation, without the joined-up thinking required to achieve great results online. Limited experience and tight budgets can also make charities more risk-adverse than businesses – a ‘play it safe’ policy doesn’t work in the digital space, you always have to be prepared to try new ways to engage your audience and make an impact.
What are the differences between working with charities and for-profit businesses? Fundamentally our task is the same for charities as it is for forprofit businesses. Every brand we work with needs us to use digital to present them in an engaging way that connects with their audiences online. What are the advantages of working with charities? Working with charities is a really rewarding and stimulating process. Firstly, people who work for charities are a really nice bunch of passionate people who wholeheartedly believe in their cause, which makes them really easy to work with. And secondly, working with a charity challenges us to think laterally and forces us to continually question how we can be efficient with assets and make best use of time and budget. What is the effect of good design on a charity’s campaign? A badly designed campaign is usually just a bad campaign. We have worked with charities that have been swayed by gimmicks and ignored fundamental insight about the kind of concepts their audience would be receptive to, and this has been integral to the failure of that campaign. An engaging campaign that grabs people’s attention has to be appropriate to the audience and intelligently positioned. Charities have an incredibly hard job to do because they need to connect with people emotionally and then inspire them to act. The design of
the campaign – from the topline concept, right down to the position of the “donate” button, or tone of voice in the thank you email – is instrumental in making that connection. A good campaign can generate a response without the audience even noticing the design, it can be the reason why they donate to one charity over another without them even realizing that the design has influenced their decision. That’s the power of great design. In what circumstances does a charity approach you? Charities approach us to be digital partners through referrals, as we’ve built a reputation for understanding their challenges, being smart with budgets and being great to work with!
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reader survey
Embracing design and serving others Peter Panepento highlights a Charity: Water, a nonprofit with great design, based on our reader survey Which nonprofits are embracing smart design to communicate and serve others? The Chronicle and Elefint Designs, a company in San Francisco that works primarily with nonprofits and businesses focused on the social good, recently asked readers to share their favorite examples of
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organizations that are effectively using design as part of their operations. And you shared some wonderful examples. Groups like Charity: Water, Heifer International, the Pixel Project, Plant With Purpose, and Save the Children were among the dozens of nonprofits that were singled out for their ability to use design to convey their values in meaningful and compelling ways.
As an incentive for the discussion, Matthew Scharpnick, Elefint’s chief strategy officer, offered to donate his services to help a Chronicle reader develop an informational graphic that highlights his or her organization’s work. Aissata Camara, executive vice president of the There Is No Limit Foundation, in New York, is the winner of the free graphic because she was the first of several readers to point to Charity: Water for its use of design.
“Charity: Water was mentioned the most, and we can see why,” Mr. Scharpnick says. “Charity: Water sought from its inception to identify typical pain points in the world of philanthropy and then asserted itself as different and innovative through a strategic brand that utilizes beautiful design.” Scharpnick says Charity: Water’s design is effective as it doesn’t try to do too much.
“Their use of icons and simple color palette enables their website audience to quickly understand what they do and why they do it,” he says. “Many service organizations crowd their Web sites with too much information, photos, facts, etc., that ultimately dilute the main message. But Charity: Water uses modern design elements, infographics, motion graphics, and fonts not usually seen on
nonprofit sites to give it a clean young aesthetic.” The group also has a simple mission and communicates that mission clearly in all of its work, he says. In the coming weeks, Mr. Scharpnick will work with the There Is No Limit Foundation to develop its graphic, which The Chronicle will publish on our site.
Packaging design for good | Flavorpill and Scott Harrison (“former NYC club promoter, now global promoter of greater good”) are building sustainable sources of water in Africa. 100% of proceeds go to Charity: Water.
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citizen designer
Are you guilty of design consumerism? Jacob Cass, founder of ‘Just Creative Design’ on being a good citizen as a designer On my website (Logo Designer Blog), an article written by Chris Spooner was published and it was called 5 recent rebrands that caused the most upset and it really kicked up a stir amongst the community. Many people vented their opinions of each of the 5 logos showcased however there were two comments that really stood out for me as it brought up a few questions and provoked thoughts I had never really thought about.
Daphne had this to say about the 5 logos: “Don’t like any of them [the 5 logos posted]. Feels exactly like what we’re studying in class now: where the design does not adhere to the need of the consumer, rather it’s creating a style for the consumer to follow; one that will soon become a style used by all, making it obsolete,” Kaalis had an interesting reply. “I don’t want a world where design is created by the consumer, I prefer one where
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designers create trends, create evolution, changes. Designers need to educate the consumer visually. If all designers followed what consumers (and clients) wanted, design history would have been a lot more boring. That’s why I love and support Ollin’s work, it’s innovating and fresh. It doesn’t listen to what consumers want, it educates the consumer, surprises him, makes him think, react, share opinions – good & bad ones. We designers
line between the two? Should designers follow design trends for the needs & wants of consumers or should we be trying harder to educate the client? Should we be designing for social change? Well, this topic has been up in the air for some time now. In fact one of the most re known designers of our time, Milton Glaser (the designer behind the I Love New York logo), coined the term “Designism” which raises a similar question of “whether
Designism: a movement that attempts to change the world through design need to support these kind of designers… we’re not a bunch a lazy guys doing drawings, we develop concepts, strategies and give estethical answers. We’re not slaves of the consumers or our client. We decide, but at our own risk:” So this made me a think… should a designer be adhering to the needs/wants of consumers & clients? Should designers be innovating & creating a style for consumers to follow? Where can and should we draw the
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design can and should do good?” “Designism is a movement that attempts (sometimes well, sometimes not) to connect design to politics. A less “loaded” definition would be “a movement that attempts to change the world through design.” This Designism movement has been crafted via a number of lectures put together by the Art Directors Club although it doesn’t seem to be that popular, however, it has only been a movement years in the making.
Regardless of how designers instigate change, we simply can’t do nothing.
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Hasn’t design always been about making the world a better place?
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Be a good citizen
Who cares?
Furthering on the Designism topic, in the book How To Think Like A Great Graphic Designer by Debbie Millman, (a great book I’ve recently finished) Milton Glaser said this: “Being a designer is also about being a good citizen. What does it mean to be a good citizen? It means caring about what’s going on and taking a role. Designers have the unique opportunity to have a different role than an average person who doesn’t have access to production and manufacturing in the same way a designer does. So there is more opportunity and more responsibility. The reality of being in the world and caring about that world is ultimately in our own self-interest. When you create a competitive and acrimonious environment, you suffer. If you play that game, then you have to pay the consequences on a personal level.”
Although not all are all in the same boat, Adrian Hanft of the blog Be A Design Group had these critiques about Designism after listening to one of the Designism lectures: • It’s too liberal. A political movement should include multiple political opinions. Most people who attended the forum were liberal. • Speak in a civil tone change doesn’t come about by dropping the “F” bomb and saying you’re pissed. • It’s insulting to other designers by implying that political design is more important than other forms of design. Adrian also asks “hasn’t design always been about making the world a better place?” So, who is the victim of design consumerism? In my opinion, regardless of how designers instigate change, we simply can’t do nothing.
Poll: What is Designism? Adrian Hanft of Be A Design Group Blog asks, What do you think about the attention designism has gotten lately? Pick the answer below that best matches your thoughts about designism. Submit your answer on our website and see the results! I have no idea what they are talking about. I like the idea of using design to promote social change. Where do I sign up? The discussion is interesting, but the left wing politics turned me off to the whole thing. Designism is a waste of time and I don’t think it will ever become a movement. Designism is a monumentally important design movement and it is imperative that we keep the discussion going. Design has always been about making the world a better place, so I don’t really get the point of inventing the word “designism.”
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New look for TCF Michael C. Salem says it is the same community foundation With agency Cundari SFP, the Toronto Community Foundation has unveiled a new brand for the future. Over the last year, Toronto “experience experts” Cundari SFP have been generously giving of their time to help develop a new brand for the Toronto Community Foundation. “We wanted to give the Community Foundation a new look that better communicates our mission and where we would like to be in the future,” said Rahul K. Bhardwaj, Toronto Community Foundation President & CEO. “The three rings tie into our unique organizational model and tell the Community Foundation story of connecting people to make our city a better place through philanthropy.” The new look was rolled out over several weeks, beginning with the release of Toronto’s Vital Signs and the launch of the Toronto Community Foundation’s new website at tcf.ca. TCF has applied their new colourful visual identity throughout various web and print materials.
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feature reading
Design for good Lulu explores how graphic design contributes to positive change A little over a week ago, I travelled to Wales to run a workshop with university students, on design for good. Specifically exploring how graphic design can contribute to positive change. It was a rewarding day. The students were engaged, creative and humorous, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with in response to the term-long brief I’ve set them. Key questions explored included: Why design? Why do we designers do what we do? What can it achieve? Why design for good? What benefit to planet, profit and especially, people? What’s in it for the designer him or herself?! How can we design for good? Why should people care? How can we present our ideas and messages about positive action in ways that are useful and desirable to people? What tools are at our disposal for this mission? I know I always hammer on about the significance of starting all journeys and enquiries with the self. In true form, I asked the students why they have chosen to be designers in the first place. Their responses included: “to communicate,” “to educate,” “it’s challenging.” Why am I a designer? To help improve people’s wellbeing. Whether that be through supporting the activities that provide their livelihood; affirming
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their identity and uniqueness; encouraging respect of self, community and environment or; through facilitating communication and interaction between groups for the mutual benefit of all. That’s why, at Asilia, we specialise in working with entrepreneurs, start-ups, professionals in the creative industries and organisations that exist explicitly to create positive change. At the end of the design for good day, what’s key is respecting diversity. Nature demonstrates this to us every day and we designers, and people in general, can learn a lot by observing it. People are different and are driven and excited by different things. Our role as designers is to truly understand who our audiences are, what attitudes they have towards the changes we are encouraging and for us to find away to position positive change as exciting, useful and desirable. We have to inspire. “Ultimately, it is the agenda with which we approach the making of things that must be truly diverse.”— William McDonough & Michael Braungar And final inspiration from US President, John F. Kennedy: “The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cyncis whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need people who can dream of things that never were.”
Do Good Design David Berman
Cradle to Cradle McDonough + Braungart
Massive Change Bruce Mau
tips lists
Pro-Bono Benefits RGD Ontario explores benefits of doing pro bono design work What are the benefits of designing for a cause, working with non-profits, or doing pro bono design work? A list of benefits produced as part of RGD Ontario’s Designer’s Guide to Pro Bono Work, which was created by members of the RGD Ontario Provisional Committee to assist designers and non-profits to work together on pro bono projects that benefit the community.
Creativity It is refreshing and inspiring to work with dedicated staff who believe in what they do.
Networking Non-profit or charitable organizations’ Board of Directors and other volunteers are great people to network with since some of them are business owners and prospective clients.
The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cyncis whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need people who can dream of things that never were.
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Philanthropy What is better than using your talent and knowledge to help effect change and support something that you believe in?
Portfolio It is a way to explore areas of design that are not yet prominent in your portfolio and develop creative and innovative new work. This is one resource and refers to “pro bono” only, though it is relevant to the overall benefits of designing for good. Whether it be officially documented, or simply for the benefit of society and the greater good in general. RGD Ontario’s Designer’s Guide to Pro Bono Work is online now. OPAQUE Magazine | March 2012 | 17
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