When MCR and Co.act came to us there was only the concept of an online match-making directory to help Detroit nonprofits and service providers lift each other up as one facet of their mission to change the culture of nonprofit work.
We helped them understand the benefit of creating a new identity for the directory that presented a united front and streamlined communication strategy.
Dovetail serves a number of different personas within the nonprofit sphere, and as part of our process we built messaging tailored to each of Dovetail’s audiences, including Nonprofits, Founders, Investors, and Services Providers.
We bundled each one, along with examples of visual styles in the form of advertisements in a comprehensive brand guide.
We started identifying the need for a new brand for the online tool, and then we had to create a name that would capture the mission and purpose of the alliance it represented. After several rounds of name ideation and logo concepts we landed on Dovetail, one of the sturdiest and most widely used joints in woodworking. It brings two pieces of wood together in an interlocking joint that is both beautiful and extremely durable. A perfect fit!
The Provider Directory is a custom built business listing system to facilitate connections between nonprofits and service providers that the Dovetail team can update from a spreadsheet on an ongoing basis. Powered by WordPress, it is a flexible foundation from which we can continue to improve and their work continues.
Standard fare iconography and illustrations on the web don’t always represent the audiences we’re working for. Or if they do, the artwork is often over the top or pandering, focusing on the disability rather than the person. So for Dovetail, we created custom artwork that included people of different size, gender expression, race, and ability.
In addition to the tool we built, the site also highlights the content and resources being hosted by Dovetail. From convenings and workshops to their Nonprofit Playbooks, Dovetail takes action in a variety of mediums and we made each of them shine.
Your marketing should be as enthusiastic as your company is innovative.