Don’t let fundraisers and bleeding hearts tell you otherwise. For-profit marketing and non-profit marketing is the same. It may not be delivered the same way, sound the same or look the same, but for the purposes of logo design, they are exactly the same.
For-profit logo design needs to satisfy three things.
1. Be instantly memorable
2. Explain some aspect of the business with graphic elements or type
3. Stay effective regardless of size and color constraints.
Non-profit logo design needs to satisfy three things.
1. Be instantly memorable
2. Explain some aspect of the business with graphic elements or type
3. Stay effective regardless of size and color constraints
Ta-da!
Because of that, for-profit, non-profit parity, let me share with you a few clichés to avoid when developing a non-profit logo.
Hands – The United Way did it. You will not be more memorable or have more exposure than they do. The symbolism of hands generally works to satisfy three metaphors:
Welcoming with open arms – Generally it looks like cupping water. Unless your cause is to eliminate the need for bowls, shy away.
Interracial Tolerance – Remember the Puerto Rican Sharks and American Jets from the musical West Side Story? They were joined by the hand–but their free hands were equipped with knives and Riff ended up stabbed. If done too artistically, the interracial handshake will look like a twist cone and your donors will work to end hunger–for their own race. There are much better ways to incorporate multicultural and diversity themes.
Finger Paint - As a child, I was not allowed to finger paint because it was too messy. Did that make me an underprivileged child? Maybe in the art world it did, but I think I was fortunate to have my nuclear suburban family.
The Earth – It has a holiday of its own. People think it effectively demonstrates the following, but let me explain what it really means.
Nature - “Save the earth!” said the hippie as the forestry department cut down his tree house. Specify your element Captain Planet. Trees, rocks, air or water are still too broad, but they’re a start.
Global – “Fight hunger everywhere!” said the wealthy celebrity until he realized there were starving tribes in Greenland. “Um, I mean, stop hunger in Africa where it’s warm… like Hollywood!” If you aren’t truly global, you aren’t being truly honest with your potential donors and most importantly, the clients that need your services.
Circle – “Instead of the letter O, let’s make it the earth!” said the board. Make sure the graphic elements you choose stay true to your purpose. Maybe your non-profit hopes to expand globally someday, but for some causes, that’s simply not possible. A racial tolerance group will not work in Communist China.
This is my last and biggest cliché. Often times this one element combines with the other two and becomes the Megatron of mundane.
Kids - For a minute let me buy into this cliché that I will subsequently blast apart. Kids are our future, our greatest investment and should have every opportunity to grow up safe, happy and healthy. That said, there are a multitude of reasons to tread carefully when including kid stick figures or elements into a logo.
Cheering Kids – YAY!!!!!!! Why are they excited? Be very careful when you use cheering kids for organizations like children’s hospitals. It’s a sick irony to use cheering kids to help fight for bed ridden children. The same goes with disabilities of any kind. Children with leg braces or wheel chairs can’t cheer. Don’t let your logo mock or ostracize your clients in need.
Paper Dolls and Pigtails – They haven’t been used since TV went color. A strong logo element should last forever. If your non-profit requires grants to survive, avoiding the paper doll look and pigtail girls adds professionalism and longevity to the branding of your organization.
Crayons – There are better ways to show youth than with crayon graphics. And for that matter, stop manipulating the letter s. A learning center for “Kidz” gives the complete wrong impression. Chances are you are going to be asking a professional to design your look. Let them create a look that was made by an adult.
Endgame. You don’t have to look poor or sloppy to be a non-profit. There are a myriad of ways to show the work your organization does without slipping into non-profit logo cop-outs. Before you decide to rebrand or update your logo, discuss with staff and the board the exact message you want to portray. Be professional. The philanthropists and grant reward decision makers are in the position to donate because they have been successful in the private sector. They understand branding. Your look should encourage them to join a cause that is serious. Make that first impression serious with a clean, to the point logo.
