Sunny Side Creative

Welcome back to our #LogoBreakdown series! Today, we’re breaking it down on Mission Impact Advisors. Founder and CEO, Bruce Arbit, had a few specific requests: he wanted the words to be the focus, he wanted something that felt bright and inspirational, and he wanted a literal representation of a spark. Never one to be deterred from a challenge, Elisa was more than ready to roll. First, the letterforms. They needed to be heavy in both structure and weight to draw attention to the words. Using blocky geometric type helped create the foundation for the brand by guaranteeing that the #Logotype would pull focus first. Next up: colors. Bruce had shared he was drawn to the warmth of pinks and purples but wanted something that was bright. Combined with the request for a spark, it made sense to add in a bright yellow. But the words couldn’t just be bright — they needed to feel like they were glowing. That led Elisa to a mapped color gradient, where she could determine which letters would have that glow and where, rather than simply bleeding in from one color to the next. Then, we added in some cooler colors like the teal and the plum navy for contrast. Finally, a spark. The challenge here was how do we evoke fire in a way that feels grounded and connected to the rest of the logo? We toyed with several options to represent a spark before landing on the idea of a sparkler. Sparklers create a “Wow” moment, much like Bruce does for his clients, but the placement of the spark is designed to emphasize the fact that the company helps clients create impact. By focusing on the balance between strength and softness, we can visually relay how Bruce works. He brings the strength of his expertise to each project, the softness in how he knows intuitively what each client needs, and the spark to help them amplify their impact and achieve their goals.

The world is feeling kinda heavy these days, right? Fortunately, we know some serious social justice warriors who are working to do good within their communities. Raising awareness of the need to build fairer, more equitable societies is one thing — but organizations like Shore Legal Access, Inc., Baltimore Healthy Start, Inc., 20 Degrees, and Child Resource Connect are doing the work in eliminating barriers and creating opportunities for members within our communities in pursuit of that aim. We’re so grateful to be your partner!

We’re so excited to be working with Poe Baltimore as they enter this exciting new chapter of restoration and expansion. Going from 620 sq. feet to 16,000+ will be a gamechanger for them (and Baltimore!) as more of Edgar Allen Poe’s legacy and influence on pop culture and media can be shared. Be sure to follow them for updates and news! https://lnkd.in/eeUnRXv2

Sometimes it’s fun to think about what life would be like if we had a different name. For Jess, she already has one, though she didn’t discover it until she was in Hebrew school. Her favorite candy at the time was Skittles. She went home and asked her mother what her Hebrew name was — and through lip reading and context clues, she thought her mother said, “Skittles.” “You named me after my favorite candy?” Jess asked. How prescient of her parents! Her mother laughed before saying, “No! Your Hebrew name is Gitel!” her mother said — at which point Jess realized her hearing error. But for a brief moment, she could have been Skittles! What a life that might have been.

Gunpowder Valley Conservancy is an organization that is near and dear to us, as we have partnered within them in various capacities over the years — including their . 2023 Annual Report. Through conversation, we landed on telling the story of the Clear Creeks Project, which was celebrating its tenth year of impact. We also wanted to highlight the 2023 Explore the Gunpowder Watershed challenge, the role volunteers play in the organization, and other notable moments throughout the year. We then created two completely different concepts for the team to review, seeking to bring in elements of nature and water to reflect the organization’s mission. However we diverged in how we used shapes, images, color, and overlays to tell the organization’s story. We then took all the copy, images, and numbers on hand, incorporated it into the selected concept — and voila! The 2023 Annual Report for Gunpowder Valley Conservancy was complete. It’s a beaut, if we say so ourselves, and is now live and can be viewed on their website! Thank you for trusting us with your 2023 report, GVC!

Most people think of LinkedIn as being a professional network, geared toward jobs and networking. But savvy fundraisers and development professionals know that LinkedIn can be a useful tool for prospecting and engagement in service of a nonprofit organization’s mission. Read on to glean some tips on how to use LinkedIn for Fundraising.

Not everyone figures out what they want to do when they are 16 — but for Elisa, everything changed in Mr. Krush’s art class. While designing and silkscreening shirts, her teacher and mentor said, “You know, what you’re doing is called graphic design.” And boom — new world unlocked. Elisa continued to cultivate her passion for art and graphic design through a B.A. in graphic design from UMBC. 26 years later, she still loves what she does and is forever grateful to Mr. Krush, her professors at UMBC, and the design community for their support. Fun fact: the monograph depicted was featured in two art shows!

Sometimes sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and a set of markers or crayons can be a great way to space out for a bit — a much-needed respite these days. We challenged ourselves to each draw a dinosaur in honor of #DrawADinosaur day, which was both fun and grounding. But now we have an important question to ask you: who drew it better? We’re leaving them unlabeled to avoid bias (one of us is a creative director, after all), but we welcome your guesses as to which is who’s!

We’re closely monitoring the news around the recent federal freeze and its subsequent actions and effects on the nonprofit sector and local communities. Hooray that it’s been lifted! But there’s no guarantee that something else won’t come along. In light of that, here are some recommendations we want to pass along: -Draft key messaging for your board, staff, and volunteers that address how federal shifts may impact your services and your plan for staying ahead or abreast of changing tides. Even if you don’t have a plan, just letting people know you’re aware and with them in navigating these challenges can be reassuring. -Review your communications channels and ensure they’re able to be activated when needed. With this includes determining your key audiences, which channels you’ll reach them on, and if any staff should be in charge of managing audience responses. -Encourage your board and volunteers to reach out to their elected officials and share any potential impact such shifts may have on your organization and its ability to fulfill your mission. If you have a script to share, even better —even if it’s just an outline of talking points that can nimbly be adjusted if and when a situation arises, it’s a great place to start. We’re also following these folks for up-to-minute news and resources: National Council of Nonprofits, Rachel Werner, 20 Degrees, Diane Yentel, and Maryland Nonprofits If we can be a resource in any way, shape, or form, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Could you be friends with someone who abhors peanut butter (Jess)? Elisa’s making it work. Happy #NationalPeanutButterDay!