Kind Templates

There are SO many handy shortcuts in Canva but these are the ones I use all of the time! If you’re not using them, give them a spin 🤩👍

Hands up... my Canva homepage used to be a 🔥 mess!

It worked for a while but every now and then I'd find myself frantically looking for a design or photo amidst a million uploads 😬

That was until I truly adopted using folders 💘, and now I don't know how I coped without them.

Get your Canva in Marie Kondo order... you will feel sooo good for it!

Bex

Being consistent with your communication isn't easy when you're juggling a million different tasks.

If you take these steps, it will be so much easier to remain consistent, and to ensure that your brand is reflected accurately.

Which part of this do you struggle most with?

Bex

There are a large number of charities and non profits that need to design their own marketing materials due to lack of resources and funds.

During my time working for charities, I've come across a number of common design mistakes. The great news is that they're easy to rectify so I thought I would outline them here.

If you are someone who needs to create marketing materials for charities, I really hope this helps you!

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Bex

This is a rallying cry to charities who don't feel that their brand appearance matters. It's something I'm so passionate about!

I think many charities feel that making their branding a top priority is somehow too 'business' like.

There's a guilt in worrying about how you look when you should be more concerned about the cause.

And that's true to a certain extent... the cause should always come first naturally, BUT the support you receive will be capped if you don't invest time and effort in understanding how your charity is perceived and how it consistently shows up in the world.

When you think of all the large charities, their branding and creative materials are presented in line with their 'for profit' counterparts.

You recognise them instantly and there's a level of trust and connection that comes with that.

You are not a "business", but your branding and creatives will be judged in the same way. And in such a noisy world, it's never been more important to appreciate that.

Bex

Today is the United Nations "International Volunteers Day", celebrating millions of people who dedicate their time and skills for the benefit of others. They are rarely celebrated and often hide behind the scenes, but today 'WE CELEBRATE YOU'!

Without volunteers many charities wouldn't survive. They are the lifeblood of the community and provide a priceless gift to many who are in need.

'Thank you!'

Bex

A few weeks ago I had my first experience of surfing. I was shocking!!! BUT, I was with amazing friends and my family... we giggled, we fell off, we got back up again... and fell off again.

Am I going to be a surfer? No... but I will treasure every second of the experience and having the opportunity to try something different.

The moral of this little post is that sometimes it doesn't matter if you're rubbish at something, it's just good to play. We put so many expectations on everything we do. Sometimes it's fun to fall!!!

Have the best Friday.

Bex

The aim of recruiting new supporters to a charitable campaign provides such focus and drives so much of a charities' marketing efforts. But, what next? All too often, the next stage is overlooked and/or deprioritised. All of that effort ends up being a short term gain.⁠
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Adding consistent value to new and existing supporters is crucial for supporter retention... particularly now. We need to ensure supporters feel appreciated; part of a community; and we need to understand their needs too.⁠
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Do you agree?⁠
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Bex⁠
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Here are a series of posters that I designed to promote mental health awareness. The purpose of these posters were to engage and to educate passers by on key mental health related issues. I loved every second of creating these... having creative freedom and pushing myself to try something new was so liberating.

In order to be seen in this noisy world, and to engage, sometimes we need to step out of our safety zone and try something different.

What do you think?

Bex

"Life 101 are life courses for children covering topics such as leadership, resilience and wellbeing. The creators of these amazing courses are Greig Trout, former CSI and Founder of 101 Things To Do When You Survive, and Jaime Thurston, CEO of the 52 Lives charity and author of two amazing books on kindness."

Working on this was a dream! We created a logo identity that is playful; embracing a hand-drawn style that reflects the imperfect nature of life and ensures the logo appears less corporate and more welcoming and engaging to children and their parents/guardians. The colours selected are drawn from nature with the greens and oranges, paired with a bold pink for fun and vibrancy.

I for one love this brand and I am so grateful that there are people like Jaime and Greig in this world that are making sure our children are equipped for the future. Thank you for all that you do!

Bex


leadership

It's so interesting how we can get so hung up on how something looks and more often than not, people create something that THEY like themselves, believing that it will translate to everyone else.

The problem with that is that everyone is different and you really need to be thinking about what your target audience will be attracted to, and how it will make them FEEL!

In a noisy world, people are desperately searching for content that makes them FEEL something. It's not enough to just be a good design, it needs to convey a message / a feeling and reach out to your audience.

Something to think about next time you're getting creative!

Have an amazing day!

Bex

When the going gets tough... charities double down!!!

The truth is, when people are choosing between heating their house or putting food on the table, understandably, there is little/no room for making charitable donations.

There's no doubt that charities are feeling the effect of the current economy and are facing a tough time ahead... BUT just like a global pandemic, these periods of change and uncertainty give rise to new thinking; new ways of operating and new innovations.

It's not easy but if we pull together (again), we'll find the opportunities and carve a way through the hard times.

I mentioned yesterday that I'm working on some FREE canva templates for charities. I'll be posting them on my website soon so keep your eyes peeled. I hope they help!!!

How is your charity doing? Are you feeling optimistic or struggling to see a way through at the moment?

Bex

I can be unkind.
I can be selfish.
I can be impatient.
I can be rude.
I can be irritable.
I can be argumentative.
I can be stubborn.

I can be all of those things... I am human! But, my north star is to be kind. And, just because I run a 'kind' business and I talk about kindness a lot, it doesn't mean that I live my life in that way all of the time. But, every morning I get up and try to be a little better than the day before. And, I think that's the best we can ask of ourselves... we're never going to be perfect but we can try to be better.

Be kind to yourself today and have the BEST day my friends!

Bex

I have so much admiration for people that stand up for their beliefs.

Putting myself in the firing line of scrutiny and judgement is something that I have actively avoided for most of my adult life... I think it's the inbuilt fear of rejection and being outed by the tribe. Conforming has felt so much safer.

But, when I see people taking action and standing firm in the face of adversity, it stokes the fire inside of me. So, thank you to everyone who stands up for what they believe in, no matter how hard it gets.

I see you and I want you to know that you inspire me to be a braver version of myself every day!

Bex