Just say what you mean. — By Sruthi Sadhujan, Senior Strategy Director at Hyperakt How frequently do you and your colleagues use words like these: “innovation,“ “in community,“ “transformation,“ “champion,“ “proximate,“ “dollars out the door,“ “disruption?“ Jargon is technical slang that holds specific meaning to one group, but may be interpreted completely differently by outsiders. Jargon…

If communication within your organization isn’t working, branding won’t save you — By Deroy Peraza, Partner at Hyperakt If there’s a key that unlocks success in life, it’s clear communication. …

How to approach brand strategy when your organization is in a period of major transition. — By Deroy Peraza, Partner at Hyperakt As a leader of an independent design studio that’s been around for a hot minute (about 11 million minutes, actually, over our 21 years), the only constant I’ve seen is the need to adapt to the curveballs the world has thrown at us when…

Staying relevant means bridging Old Power and New Power. — By Sruthi Sadhujan, Senior Strategy Director at Hyperakt We live in an era in which power is shifting from old players to new ones. From cultural institutions, to philanthropies, and grassroots advocacy movements, this is not just a changing of the guard. It is a fundamental rethinking of how we…

Where one ends, the other begins. — By Deroy Peraza, Partner at Hyperakt In the nonprofit sector, the various functions of communication often get blurred, especially when it comes to branding and marketing. While related and interdependent, these are entirely different stages of communication that require different approaches. Because I love a metaphor, I want to look…

Your visual identity attracts attention, but lasting impressions are built on reputation and trust earned through each interaction. — By Deroy Peraza, Partner at Hyperakt A lot of people think that brands are logos, products, or websites. These are common identifiers because they’re the artifacts we see. Visual assets are important, because they have the power to make a great first impression. But a nonprofit brand is so much…

People respond at a gut level to the way your brand shows up in the world. — By Deroy Peraza, Partner at Hyperakt Have you ever walked into a store, a party, a restaurant, looked around, and immediately just got the vibe that you didn’t belong? Maybe people are looking at you curiously, or the playlist doesn’t fit the mood, or you overhear an obnoxious comment. Maybe…

Real nonprofit leaders talk about expectations and outcomes from their rebranding projects — By Deroy Peraza, Partner at Hyperakt Let’s be real: Branding is expensive. On average, our team puts between 750 and 1,500 hours of work into every branding project we undertake for our nonprofit clients, and the collective group of people representing our client also invests hundreds of hours participating in…

Your leadership team uses visionary language to describe your work; your staff should share that vocabulary, too. — By Sruthi Sadhujan, Senior Strategy Director at Hyperakt In a recent branding project, we surveyed the entire organization on communication challenges. Specifically, we asked, “What do you struggle with the most when communicating with outside audiences.” …