Design Strategy: Aligning Vision + Values for Long-term Impact

Across industries, maintaining a brand that accurately reflects an organization's mission, services, and values is paramount. TNTP, a $140MM nonprofit dedicated to transforming education, faced a significant challenge: their brand, last refreshed six years ago when the organization was less than half its current size, no longer fully represented their expanded scope of work, strategic shifts, and core values.

My Role

I led a team to comprehensively reposition TNTP's brand to align with a new strategic vision. Deliverables for this project included a revised messaging architecture, refreshed visual brand, and a redesigned website compliant with WCAG standards.

• Established Business Case: I conducted in-depth analysis and gathered data to demonstrate the necessity and potential benefits of brand repositioning.
• Design Strategy & Vision: I set a clear and compelling direction for the project that aligned with organizational goals and long-term aspirations.
• Collaborative Leadership: I fostered a culture of teamwork and inclusivity, engaging with cross-functional teams and incorporating diverse perspectives.
• Stakeholder Management: I built and maintained strong relationships between the project team, design team, leadership, and other internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and drive project success.

Challenges and Objectives

Over the past few years, TNTP witnessed substantial growth and evolution. The organization's strategic plan shifted to a regional model, and new services like Learning Acceleration and Culturally Responsive Teaching emerged. However, these developments were not adequately represented in TNTP's existing brand materials. Additionally, the website needed updates to meet current accessibility standards. The primary objectives of this brand repositioning effort were:

• To ensure the brand reflects TNTP's current and future strategic direction.
• To align the brand with the organization's mission of centering equity.
• To enhance brand materials to better communicate TNTP's breadth of services and expertise.
• To improve the website's design to meet modern accessibility standards.

Our Team's Approach

TNTP engaged Radish Lab, a social impact design agency, as a partner in visual and website design. The project began with a detailed discovery phase, leveraging diverse methods such as surveys, focus groups, and interviews with stakeholders including staff, clients, funders, and education professionals. This collaborative approach ensured a comprehensive understanding of TNTP’s brand strengths and gaps.

The project kicked off in January 2021, with a focus on understanding the current brand's effectiveness. Insights were gathered from 150 survey responses, numerous focus groups, and one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders. This phase revealed the necessity for a brand refresh that encapsulated TNTP's growth, strategic aspirations, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Insights from the discovery phase highlighted the importance of conveying TNTP's multifaceted identity and commitment to equity in student experiences. We aimed to expand the brand's messaging architecture to align with anticipated business growth over the next decade.

The project team developed a brand brief and messaging architecture to enhance TNTP's position in the education sector, focusing on their value and DEI commitments. Radish Lab crafted a visual strategy to guide the design of TNTP's new website, inspired by W. E. B. Du Bois's iconic data visualizations. The website restructuring prioritized SEO, a refined user journey, and updating the sitemap and content to highlight TNTP's impact and donation opportunities.

Key Results

This project resulted in a cohesive brand strategy that accurately reflects TNTP's expanded services, strategic direction, and DEI priorities. Key outcomes include:

• A new website structure designed to meet modern accessibility standards and engage diverse audiences.
• A strong foundation to position TNTP as a thought leader in the economic and social mobility space, positioning the business for long-term growth and impact.
• Modern and enhanced brand materials that communicate TNTP's breadth of expertise.

Lessons Learned

If given the opportunity to lead a similar project again, I would prioritize:

1. Informed Decision-Making: I would spend more time at the beginning of the project aligning decision-makers to expedite reviews and avoid bottlenecks.
2. Adaptability: I would coach the team upfront on how flexibility and openness to change are essential, allowing for strategy adaptation in response to evolving circumstances and feedback.
3. Data-Driven Analysis: I would continuously evaluate data and market trends to inform strategy and strengthen the ongoing business case with measurable outcomes.

Kind Words

• “A lot of people excel at either seeing the big picture—setting vision and imagining what could be—and others are really great at thinking through the details and logistics. Meg is one of the few people I've worked with who are equally adept at both." -Department Leader
• "Meg takes a person-first approach and is empathetic to the needs and motivations of her colleagues, project partners, and direct reports, as well as to TNTP's audiences. She asks questions to deepen her understanding and work collaboratively towards action. I found this method of asking questions instead of providing answers to be extremely helpful in problem-solving and approaching my own work." -Project Team Member & Direct Report
• "During our team retreat, Meg led a persona empathy exercise that was not only fun and engaging, but also caused me to think differently about our audiences. The information and perspectives that came out of that exercise have continued to influence our work." -Project Team Member & Direct Report
• "We've hit a lot of bumps in the road in this project so far, and Meg has handled each and every one without fail. She helps us adjust our project plan, brainstorms ways to re-distribute work or get things moving, and we move on. I honestly don't think this project would even be where it is today if Meg were not leading in the way that she is--she's invaluable." -Project Team Member & Direct Report