Nimble and Effective Social Media Strategy
In 2022, working with the ACLU of Pennsylvania, I created a series of videos addressing abortion access in Pennsylvania. These shorts, produced for social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, featured interviews with abortion funders, providers, and advocates.
Background
Leading up to the Dobbs decision, I collaborated with social justice and abortion advocates in Pennsylvania to develop a messaging strategy aimed at raising awareness of the threat to abortion access in the state. Our goal was to inform and empower people, as many were unaware of the precarious position of abortion rights.
To leverage the popularity of video content on social media, we created a series of videos featuring conversations with abortion advocates, funders, and providers.
Social media can be a powerful tool for social change.
Responding to the Dobbs Decision Leak
Although the Dobbs decision leaked a month earlier than expected, we were prepared and launched the first video in our series the following day, followed by two more shortly thereafter. The videos not only informed viewers about the situation, but also provided actionable steps to take to get involved and stay informed.
Based on the response to the campaign, it was evident that the campaign, as well as it’s timing, had resonated with our audience and encouraged them to take action.
Take-Aways
This campaign reinforced several important practices that I bring to every project:
- Collaboration: By working closely with those directly impacted by social injustice, we can gain a deeper understanding of their experiences and needs, enabling us to create messaging that resonates with our audience.
- Planning: Through advance planning and preparation, we were able to hit the ground running when the Dobbs decision leaked. This allowed us to provide valuable information and support to people who were concerned about the situation.
- Content Strategy: Social media is a rapidly changing landscape, and it’s essential to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and platforms. By doing so, we can tailor our messaging to reach our target audience effectively.
- Flexibility: Success in social media’s quickly moving environments requires the ability to be nimble and change directions based on feedback, data, or new conditions (such as a leaked SCOTUS decision).
Social media can be a powerful tool for social change. By working collaboratively, planning ahead, staying nimble, and adopting a smart content strategy, we can create campaigns that inform, inspire, and motivate people to take action.
Building a Strong and Inclusive Brand Identity:
Rebranding the American Society on Aging
In 2020, I began working with the American Society on Aging (ASA) as they underwent a major rebranding and launched two new websites.
Background
The American Society on Aging had not refreshed its brand in decades. As they began the rebranding process, they approached me to collaborate with them on the launch of their new brand and websites. Having previously worked with ASA — it was where I got my start in nonprofit communications — I was excited to work with them on their new vision.
ASA had a history of strong diversity in its programs and content, but their new vision placed a renewed emphasis on equity. Additionally, the organization prioritized policy and advocacy on behalf of older adults and the people who work with them. To communicate these new commitments, their new brand voice needed to be strong and inclusive.
Overall, the ASA project serves as an excellent example of how a commitment to equity and inclusion can guide all aspects of an organization’s communication and branding efforts.
My Approach
Before my involvement, ASA had worked with a design firm to develop a new brand and branding guidelines. My role was to implement the new brand and develop the organization’s new identity. To create a strong and inclusive brand voice, I prioritized diverse representation in the graphics and content. I intentionally chose images that almost anyone could relate to and see themselves in on ASA’s new websites. Using ASA’s new branding guidelines, I designed graphics and logos for their programs that were bold and striking and developed content that highlighted their new priorities.
Websites
ASA launched two Drupal-based websites — their main organization site and a new site for their digital publications. Using Druptal CMS, I built out the design, collaborated on the content, and consulted on necessary features for both websites, prioritizing diverse representation, accessibility, and usability to provide a better user experience for all visitors.
For ASA’s main website, I selected images that complemented the organization’s new brand palette and embodied their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, helping to build the organization’s new voice.
I designed logos and graphics that helped establish an identity and cultivate brand recognition for ASA’s programs and resources. Among other things, I designed logos for several of ASA’s podcasts and took on production responsibilities for them, including selecting theme music, developing a modern style, and ensuring that they were available on ASA’s site as well as on all major streaming platforms.
ASA’s new publications website featured an image with every story. My selection of images was driven by both the content of each individual article as well as my overall goal of having a site that everyone could see themselves in.
Event Example
This campaign reinforced several important practices that I bring to every project:
As part of their new brand, ASA also launched new events including Generations Forums, which were virtual mini-conferences on specific topics. As the forums covered various topics and were a new event for the organization, my goal was to create a recognizable identity for each one that was both distinctive and cohesive with ASA’s new branding, using the event logo and image. To ensure consistency across all event collateral, I optimized the graphics for the website, email promotions, each of the social media platforms ASA used, and digital handouts.
Event Example
My approach to social media content and graphics mirrored my approach to designing website content and event collateral. My goal was to share quality content that centered the voices and experiences of historically marginalized communities, reflecting the organization’s commitment to equity.
I believe that quality and inclusive content comes from community, so I started an internal channel where staff could share news stories and other content inspirations. Additionally, I listened to the voices in the aging space that aligned with ASA’s mission and priorities, particularly individuals and organizations that represented historically marginalized communities. I lifted those voices up through shares, retweets, and spotlights. For example, I initiated a weekly social media post to share other podcasts produced by organizations or individuals that featured stories at the intersection of aging and diversity.
In creating graphics, I maintained the bold design choices that typified the organization’s new brand identity, strongly centering images of people and prioritizing inclusion. This was defined broadly to include race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, disability, and age. When ASA launched a new leadership development program for professionals of color, ASA Rise, the content and collateral I created to promote the program felt right at home within the imagery we had been sharing for almost a year. We used the ASA Rise Social Media Toolkit (PDF) both internally and shared it with partners to promote the new program.
Take-Aways
Throughout ASA’s rebranding project, my focus was on prioritizing diverse representation and voices, accessibility, and usability. My goal was to create quality content that centered the voices and experiences of historically marginalized communities, reflecting ASA’s commitment to equity. This was achieved through various initiatives such as starting an internal channel for content inspiration, uplifting other organizations’ content that featured stories at the intersection of aging and diversity, and promoting new events and programs through bold, inclusive design choices.
Overall, the ASA project serves as an excellent example of how a commitment to equity and inclusion can guide all aspects of an organization’s communication and branding efforts. By prioritizing diverse representation and voices in website design, promotional collateral, and social media content, I, working with the rest of ASA team, was able to create a more inclusive and engaging platform that better reflects their mission and values.
Meaningful and Impactful Design:
Annual Report Design
In 2022, I designed the annual report for the ACLU of Pennsylvania.
The Challenge
As with many annual reports, the requirement was to include fundraising and other impact numbers, letters from the executive director and board president, articles featuring the organization’s initiatives and achievements from the year, acknowledgements to partners, and a call-to-action. The organization’s development team had selected the theme “Defending Liberty Hand-in-Hand.” My task was to come up with a design and layout that portrayed this theme, communicated the values of the organization, and adhered to their brand guidelines.
The Design and Layout
To convey the theme, I took inspiration from the idea of little paper people connected at their hands, which we all cut out when we’re young. I wanted to reflect the diversity of the population that the organization serves and keep the design simple to let the content shine.
I used the gold and purple colors from the organization’s palette and highlighted the impact numbers at the front and the call-to-action at the end with a light font on a dark purple background. For the articles, I used a white background and black font to make it easy for readers to find and read specific content. The use of a light background for longer-form content enhanced readability and accessibility.
Final Design
The final annual report (PDF/2.3MB) has a consistent, clean, and simple yet striking layout. The report effectively communicates the values and impact of the ACLU of Pennsylvania to its stakeholders while adhering to the organization’s brand guidelines. By using two colors from the organization’s color palette and highlighting important information, the report is easy to read and accessible. The theme of “Defending Liberty Hand-in-Hand” is embodied throughout the report, creating a cohesive and impactful design.
