TSLP

2023

Creating a brand that sticks with users

Research

Branding

“Whenever we pitched to customers, they were confused, turns out we had the wrong message.”

Snapshot of project

Info

The Shining Light Project (TSLP) is a non-profit organisation that partners with business and schools to teach students real world skills.

Challenge

After launching the business, they had hard time convincing business and schools to partner with. They weren't sure exactly the value proposition of TSLP.

Solution

The key issue found was the branding and website. The brand message didn't resonate with both target audience and the website didn't give confidence on TSLP ability to deliver. Due to budget constraints, we focused on creating a new brand and name and created a strategy document for future actions.

My Role

Research

Workshop

Branding

Key Result

New brand

New business strategy

Client

The Shining Light Project

What does the research say?

I teamed up with another designer, kicking off by dissecting their website and scouting competitors. The aim was to unearth their unique message and see where they stand in terms of the competition.

Insight #1

The website doesn't say clearly say what why? how? and what? they exactly do. It's a lot of blank images and little copy around their process compare to competitors.

“Everything thing is a bit vague - it doesn't say what they are about.”

However, we're not the target audience. So, we put the current website and brand to the test with teachers, head staff, business leaders and HR. The verdict compare to competitors? The website lacked the oomph in info and confidence, leaving each participant with a different confusing brand message.

Insight #2

Each user walked away with a different confusing brand message and didn't find all the information they needed to decide if they wanted to partner with TSLP.

We hopped on follow-up calls with each participant to understand their world. Equally, fleshing out the roadblocks and pain points they face in locating, persuading, and partnering with nonprofits. This resulted in a sea of post-it notes and three personas to be used later in the design process.

What’s the core challenge?

“They sound evangelical - I'm not sure if I would recommend the board to partner with them.”

From the research, it was quite clear that the two biggest issues were branding and website. The brand was confusing for both business and schools who didn't feel confident and couldn't relate to TSLP. The website didn't provide enough information and didn't display it quickly and easy to understand.

Yet, we were working with a shoestring budget. So, we made a call to invest our time in crafting a fresh brand as we believed it was the most essential in delivering value for the client.

Challenge #1

How might we create a brand that resonates with business and teachers?

What about branding?

I kicked things off with a brand workshop alongside the client, aiming to nail down TSLP's identity. We leaned on our personas, anchoring every choice to our target audience and, of course, making sure the client's passion for their brand shone through.

As the workshop wrapped up, one thing was crystal clear: the name needed to change. So, we geared up for a naming workshop with the client while still ensuring the bame resonates with our target audience.

Insight #3

The brand needed a new name not only to reflect the relaunch but also to remove any "evangelical" connatation users had around the current name.

Post-workshops, I partnered with another designer to sketch out two fresh brand paths. We mapped out the brand story, values, mission, visuals, typography, colors, and a whole lot more. After gathering feedback, we blended elements from both routes, creating a final brand path and guidelines.

Should be noted, we couldn't test this with users due to time and budget constraints but we used the personas throughout the branding exercise to ensure we created a brand not only for the client but for target audience.

What’s the final solution?

A new brand and name was created which will resonate with business and teachers. Equally, we wrote out a report outlining a new strategy for the client's business. This report included all the research findings but most importantly what are the next steps needed for the client in terms of priority. This was an added bonus that the client loved, knowing what they need to act on and general timeline on activities.

Other work

Increasing adoption of a planning tool

Strategising a design agency