A visual identity consists of all the graphic elements and visual language that make you identifiable and unique. Establishing a strong visual identity is essential in communicating and creating a recognizable collective community identity with a cohesive voice. The values, principles and ideals can be felt throughout the multiple communication channels a community has such as social media, posters, booklets, etc. It allows the community to quickly associate activities, events, happenings of any kind to your community.
Visual Identity
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Identify amongst the community members people with an affinity to graphic expression (they could be artists, designers, advertisers, photographers, hobbyists, etc.).
Get together and go over the manifesto. Highlight keywords and values. What feelings do they evoke?
Search for images online, in magazines, scraps (or take pictures with your phone) of textures, objects, scenes, buildings, patterns and characters that evoke those feelings. Extract the main colours that you associate with them.
Search in open-source repositories such as Google Fonts, Font Fabric, Lost Type or Velvetyne for a typeface that resonates with what you want to express. If you want to understand more about how typography can help you communicate tone and value, refer to Thinking With Type, Font Review Journal, and Font Brief.
Use tools such as Canva or Adobe Express to create templates for Instagram Stories and Posts, Posters and Booklets.
Save the fonts, colour codes and images used in a publicly accessible folder such as a Google Drive or Dropbox. This way anyone can use it and contribute to it when creating graphics for the community.
Guerrilla Marketing is a term for advertising strategies that use surprise and/or unconventional interactions in order to promote a product or service. While it is usually used with a sales intention, we highlight from guerrilla marketing the low-cost, unexpected and often participatory or discursive nature of its interventions. It usually drives higher engagement because it deviates from expected communication channels (flyers, posters, bulletin boards). While it is true that your community is not a product or service, it will be a double surprise approach since using conventionally sales-intended channels for a non-market happening such as a community event will result as unexpected for prospective participants.
Guerilla Marketing
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Publishing is defined as the action of issuing material for sale or distribution to the public. It’s an essential part of spreading and conveying a message, activity, idea, event, etc. Publishing can be a very self-made and independent process that anybody can engage with. Fanzines, prints and booklets are a great way to share short texts, programs, images and plans. Whether it is made digitally and printed in your local print shop, or done by hand folding paper and collaging, do not be afraid of self-publishing what your community requires. This also adds a personal touch and gives a distinct character to the communication of activities and events. (This very playbook is an example of a low-cost publishing effort!)
A launch event is, as its name suggests, something organized to announce or mark the start of a season, activity, happening, etc. Launch events are engaging, fun and celebratory in nature. They are a wonderful way to share an important milestone with a lot of people while bringing together community members and driving participation. Build a support network - create a call for co-organizers to support you in launching your event. You can gather friends or reach out to members of the community who might be interested in lending a helping hand.
Tip! You can use the launch event as a way to get a sense of who can fill different roles in the community. You can bring the cards made in Identifying Roles and use them as conversation starters or customize the bulletin board during the event. It’s a great way to meet new people and get them on board! The launch event is also a moment where a big part of the community comes together, so you can also use it as a time to plan out the activities that will follow whatever you’re launching (see Activity Lab).
Launch Event
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If you already have digital communication platforms use these as a starting point to get the word out. Consider also using other creative means to communicate with the community. How can you reach as many members of the community as possible? (see Guerilla marketing and low-cost publishing)
Determine the activities and plan for the event. What do you want to focus on? How can the community participate in the event? Who can contribute their expertise and skills to organizing activities? What can they bring?
Do not forget to keep track of what happened at the event and communicate your reflections and insights with the community.