Branding and Design in Advocacy

By Hale Thompson, Guest Blogger for the Network for LGBT Health Equity at Netroots Nation 2011

Logos and tag lines–branding–are really important, underutilized communication tools in the advocacy world. Designers from the Obama 2008 campaign and the Democratic National Committee presented some key tips for creating a brand that will help move you or your organization’s advocacy work forward. Here are 5 branding guidelines from Jessica Teal who did branding for Obama’s 2008 campaign:

1. Be serious; make branding a priority.
2. Be authentic; find the essence of your work to craft your brand, rather than trying to please your audience.
3. Put your brand out EVERYWHERE in all different forms and mediums and make the art work downloadable.
4. Be consistent, coordinated and aligned (i.e. in the field vs. in the media vs. on your web site).
5. Be nimble; branding is not a solution–it’s an evolving process.

It’s important to remember that people learn through REPETITION, which has been a recurring, ahem repetitive, theme in several workshops. Repetition and familiarity breed TRUST. Trust in turn evolves into LOYALTY.