Visit J Sherman Studio's website to see a studio vignette of LIFT's collaboration on two Impact Reports with graphic designer Julie Sherman.
Here is a clip of the studio vignette from LIFT:
We asked Colleen if they had considered trying to get the annual report design as a donation? Her response: “Like many other nonprofits, LIFT operates on a small budget and traditionally our outreach materials have taken a backseat to programmatic expenses. We had spent years trying to get high level design through donated services, but came to realize that the adage “You get what you pay for” often rings true. After working with J Sherman Studio on our first annual report, we received overwhelmingly positive responses to our fundraising appeals and introductions to new partners. We are now firm believers that quality design is an investment in your brand and your organization, and that investment will yield returns.”
Which naturally leads to our next question… which has partly selfish motivations as we would love to work with LIFT more, but also from a sincere curiosity about what design projects are worth the investment for nonprofit organizations. We asked Colleen what types of design projects would they still outsource as they develop their internal capabilities? Her response: “J Sherman Studio’s creativity, sense of color and layout, and thoughtful details are things that LIFT likely will not be able to replicate internally for several more years, so we hope to be collaborating with J Sherman Studio for future projects. As LIFT grows as an organization, we would like to expand the cache of literature we can distribute to illustrate our work, including reports, informational brochures, recruitment materials, invitations, posters, and much more.”
