Kenya (MF-K) is an indigenous community health initiative with the experience and systems in place to meet donor requirements as well as the needs of the communities they serve.

When my Rootid co-founder, Andrew and I were first hired by the Matibabu Foundation in 2009, Matibabu was one organization with a US-based foundation and Kenyan-based NGO. As our re-branding work began, their board quickly realized that the organization needed to be divided, so the US-based organization was renamed Tiba Foundation, leaving the original name “Matitbabu” to its Kenyan counter-part.

For the Matibabu Foundation in Kenya, they wanted a visual language that was clean and modern while still staying true to their original logo and roots in the Kenyan flag. They have a very deep sense of community that we wanted to highlight and functionality-wise give a way for many layers of information to be accessed quickly and easily. We also needed to be sensitive to internet speeds in Kenya, so this site is very simple and to the point, with optimized images and little to no “bells and whistles”. Though their site has not officially launched yet, you can see it under construction.

« Visit Matibabu’s New Website

I was connected with Ian through another client and fellow designer Sandra Kelch and was brought in to design him a website that truly showcased his expertise. Developed using WordPress, the site highlights his speaking, a game he created to help his clients think through their crisis management techniques, and has quick access to his most recent publications. Originally he had a separate blog and professional site, which have now been integrated under one roof.

« Visit Ian’s New Site

Tchell DePaepe came to me to freshen up her branding. She was in the process of sending out a direct mail piece to Art Directors throughout the Bay Area and wanted a more sophisticated look that highlighted her personality.

We began by designing her a new logo and creating a custom icon for her to use along with it (see sticker image). We then redesigned her website using a simple WordPress template and integrated an easy-to-use gallery so that she could showcase her amazing photography and update content herself.

« Visit Tchell’s New Site

Willis says, “A vital next step in design education centers on taking seriously the notion of systems and systems thinking, which are inherently trans-disciplinary, holistic and focused on the interrelationships and patterns of things, not on fixed and isolated parts of a larger process. This means embracing dynamism and emergent possibility…” or what I see as experimentation and innovation. In today’s marketing and communications climate, there is so much noise and inauthenticity that it becomes difficult for organizations to get their message out effectively. What they so often do is just blast content out to their constituents rather than taking a step back, looking at the larger picture, and planning an integrated and more interesting strategy.

With some of my clients we talk, think and just “try” things, seeing what works and what doesn’t—almost like we are “playing” communications/marketing strategy. This might sound like a strange way to describe it, but if you are looking at an organization in its entirety and want to build a sustainable community to support it, then you want your stakeholders to feel a apart of the process and that participating is fun. This is especially true in the non-profit world where you are asking people to donate their time and resources openly and freely.

So what does “Designful Thinking” mean? It means applying a new lens to all that you look at. It means experimenting with the unknown. It means integrating all moving parts so that they play together fluidly and effectively. Above all, it means being a smart and graceful, maverick.

Update:

DigitWhiz will begin its Beta Launch between August 15th and August 20th. Visit www.digitwhiz.com after August 10th to ask for an invitation into the Beta. They are only accepting 500 administrators, parents, teachers and kids for Phase 1 so sign up early!

Before pic:

When we finally decided on a new name at last Thursday night’s meeting, I threw myself into high gear and pulled off re-branding the company (new logo and all) and launching a whole new website in yes, 1 week on the nose. Now granted, I have been a member of this community for a long time and I know the organization inside and out, so my normal research, need gathering, and visual language creation/ implementation phases were not needed this round, but still…I am pretty excited. And it could not have been more timely. One of HRA’s Foundation students just blew up all over YouTube and was featured on Good Morning America this morning and The Today Show yesterday. So the new HRA Studios & Foundation needs to be looking its very best! – - Check out the new site! – -

North Bay Summer Get-Together :: June 4, 2011

Though the show’s main purpose is fun, they also wanted to make sure it had HEART so we have joined forces with Swords to Plowshares and Bikers Against Child Abuse directing all proceeds from the event to these to charities. Swords to Plowshares, is a not-for-profit veteran service organization based here in the Bay Area and Bikers Against Child Abuse, creates a safer environment for abused children nation-wide.

If you are a car, bike or just fun festival lover, definitely come check it out.
More information can be found on their website www.northbaycarshow.com

They already had one site launched called Shoe&Bag Swaps, but wanted us to build a brand that would span all of the sites they had in mind. We began by talking about the core values of the company as a whole, how these values might differ depending on site theme, and who they wanted to reach (ie. who are their users). We then created a brand identity/visual language that could be adjusted appropriately depending on site theme. Site #1: ClosetSwaps.com will launch in April, so check it out and start Swapping!

Preview the redesign of Shoe&BagSwaps.com HERE!