Hope and beauty exists, even during the ups and downs of pandemic life
The last few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions*
It’s such an honour to be an Auntie again. It is the best role in the world! I get to enjoy the company of 2 nephews and now 3 nieces and watch them grow up into the most beautiful, interesting, and entertaining beings.
But, a few days later, after the excitement of being an Auntie again, we also had a departure within my family. My wonderful, 91 year old Grandma Elsie June passed away.
Grandma Elsie was 1 of 9 siblings and a Dorset girl through and through. She taught me to be resilient and remain positive about life, no matter what life throws at me. That, to me, is the key to branding success, especially in a post-lockdown economy.
Life throws so much at you but having empathy and hope and practicing it in all you do is the essence to succeeding and bouncing back, even during post-lockdown.
Practicing empathy in my professional and personal life gives me a superpower: I am able to automatically see the silver lining to problems that arise. It allows me to internalise problems in a constructive manner, analyse, strategise, and solve it.
Empathy also gives me profound insight into brands, their values, and what they’d like to project in their internal and external communications. Empathy makes it easier to listen, absorb, and provide solutions that enhance organisational goals.
Why empathy is a superpower in charity design
Empathy is a powerful tool. It relays shared experiences to those your organisation helps. Empathy improves your employees’ company interactions. It gives your online visitors a better user experience. It creates a common experience for anyone interacting with your charity in any capacity. This feeling becomes interchangeable with your charity name.
In the past, branding used to be about history and heritage. These are important parts of your brand story, however to effectively work in today’s world your brand needs to be about so much more than just this. The public wants to experience a shared journey between your charity and them. They want to know that you are there, that you care, and that you are ready to help them with whatever they need.
To determine how to do this, it involves a rich understanding of your audience and what they are going through. That can be discovered through my comprehensive brand storytelling process. Once I receive this data, I then go to the drawing board, literally, and work my magic. I create a visual identity that reflects true empathy that is synonymous with your charity name.
People crave empathy, now more than ever. They want to feel part of something bigger. That is what your charity can fulfil through your brand designs.
Design: Becks Neale
*Since writing this article our family also said farewell to our much loved Grandad. He was truly inspirational and saw so many changes in his lifetime. I will always remember the smiling sparkle in his eye and how he immediately made me feel welcomed as a part of my husband’s family.
