cracking the Good Egg Grant: part three
In this post, we wrap up our Good Egg Grant journey with the Northwest Center.
Equipped with our robust design toolbox, it was time to give the Northwest Center a new home online. We chose Squarespace to build and host the NWC site because it allows easy upkeep for our nonprofit clients who might not have an in-house designer.
Using our updated brand architecture as a guide, our goal was to streamline the user journey and better communicate NWC’s diverse programming to all audiences: from community members, to volunteers, to potential donors. The navigation bar was reorganized around the area of services — Housing, Financial, Organizing, and Belmont Cragin Initiatives.
Using our updated brand architecture as a guide, our goal was to streamline the user journey and better communicate NWC’s diverse programming to all audiences: from community members, to volunteers, to potential donors. The navigation bar was reorganized around the area of services — Housing, Financial, Organizing, and Belmont Cragin Initiatives.
The site puts people first and lets the community shine, using portrait photography, client quotes, and an impact-driven copywriting strategy to tell the NWC’s story. Chunky headlines command attention, and a fresh coat of “paint” in the NWC’s vibrant new color palette brings a joyous energy. And of course, the iconic rainbow line makes an appearance to tie it all together. Lastly, we wrapped up a few of their final marketing needs including a full-color, double-sided brochure printed in both English and Spanish.
The site puts people first and lets the community shine, using portrait photography, client quotes, and an impact-driven copywriting strategy to tell the NWC’s story. Chunky headlines command attention, and a fresh coat of “paint” in the NWC’s vibrant new color palette brings a joyous energy. And of course, the iconic rainbow line makes an appearance to tie it all together. Lastly, we wrapped up a few of their final marketing needs including a full-color, double-sided brochure printed in both English and Spanish.
While handing over professionally-designed materials feels great for everyone involved, it’s even more important to give nonprofit clients the tools they need to continue the work we’ve started. To set the NWC up for the future, we designed dozens of templates for posters, letterheads, and social media content for their team to use in Word, Powerpoint, and Canva — another great tool for making design accessible to nonprofits. And to ensure a smooth transition, we organized a Zoom workshop to walk them through these new tools, as well as some “design 101” skills training.
As designers, we often forget that the skills we’ve spent years studying, practicing, and refining aren’t the norm for everyone. Sharing these skills is as important as creating the design system itself. Making design accessible to nonprofits means anticipating future needs to set them up for success when our partnership ends. After an incredible year of working together, we made sure to leave the Northwest Center in capable hands — their own.
As designers, we often forget that the skills we’ve spent years studying, practicing, and refining aren’t the norm for everyone. Sharing these skills is as important as creating the design system itself. Making design accessible to nonprofits means anticipating future needs to set them up for success when our partnership ends. After an incredible year of working together, we made sure to leave the Northwest Center in capable hands — their own.