4Walls International is a nonprofit based out of San Diego California, working to clean up and empower degraded communities by upcycling trash into the building blocks for community centers, schools, parks, and affordable housing. Their mission not only eliminates ocean-bound trash + contamination downstream, but enables communities with knowledge, training and self-reliance.
UPcycling brand perception
After years of getting their footing in the region, making political inroads, and building a successful proof of concept, 4walls had arrived at a new chapter in their story, and needed to take things to the next level to advance the organization.
Scaling up the idea and influence of the organization would be necessary to make more significant impact and change in the region. But they needed a more professional image and clear articulation to be taken more seriously with bigger players.
Even though they work in Big Ideas, as a 2 man organization, there are limits to building one’s own capacity. 4walls would need up the ante of perception and legitimacy to get into those bigger meetings with bigger partners, stakeholders + investors while also building support for amplifying their message to the right audiences.
Services
Brand Strategy
Mission, Vision, Values, Purpose, Value Proposition
Brand Identity
Logo, Visual Identity, Style Guide, Messaging
Brand Expression
Website, Presentation Templates, CSR, Social Media Strategy
Getting to know life at the border
We started by going out to visit 4Walls in their own backyard (literally) in San Diego/Tijuana. That meant sitting in on everything to see their process and getting to know who they are; their personalities, thought process, company culture, stakeholder environment, and favorite taco spots.
The border region itself is unique, as are its problems and complexities..and a dizzying amount of plastic trash! So it made all the difference to tag along in cross-border tours, commutes and meetings. Getting to the core of 4Walls personality and environment was key to unearthing the philosophy and spirit behind what they do.
Upping the pitch game
Design
The organization needed a perception upgrade. Crafting a more credible persona with professional design, and clarity in explaining who they are + why it’s important. After understanding the political, civil and cultural ecosystem 4Walls operates in, a picture of the challenges became more apparent.
Story
But even more crucial was getting to the heart of 4Walls’ elevator pitch. Cross-border political and civil collaborations, environmental clean-up, and budget allotments is a pretty complex thing. We needed to distill the stories they need to tell in a more concise way to be understood by any audience. This meant uncovering the real value proposition and Big Idea behind the mission. It meant turning an expensive problem into an investment opportunity.
This could be a game changer in being able to pitch themselves in a in an arena of bigger partnerships and funding opportunities.
Results
With a new set of communication tools, design facelift and concise brand language, 4Walls was able to present themselves in a more focused way and tell a clear story.
This resulted in a new professional brand image for tapping potential stakeholders. that helped in landing a bigger partnership with Ocean Conservancy, opening the door for more meetings, partnerships, Promotions, funding opportunities and currently with bigger consulting projects in the works.
Brand GUIDE
After finding the new look we made sure to leave behind an operating manual for how to use a brand in a consistent way later down the road. But just like every brand persona is unique , so is every brand guideline document. For 4 Walls, that meant putting in only the things they need, and explaining it in a way that was easy for anyone to use and understand.
“It meant turning the story on its head.
Turning an expensive problem into an investment opportunity.”
LOGO REDESIGN
Presentations
We wanted to leave behind a sleeker more professional look in presenting themselves, but also plan ahead to make it easier for the guys to keep style and layouts consistent for any occasion. That means leaving tool tips and style tips along the way in text boxes, a wide array of templated charts and lists, and even a page with easy to copy and paste clipart, colors and images.
Brand ParTNership
With newly defined mission, values and vision and upgraded self-image, finding brands with CSR programs and aligning principles becomes a lot easier. Brands today are always on the hunt for real stories and authenticity. Being connected with real people that align with their own values, with a chance to tell a real story and share that story on social channels for the world to see is a win all around.
Patagonia is just such a brand that could donate gear for 4Walls’s next big building project. In return we document it all and we create content for a story to share on Patagonia’s social channels. The social campaign in turn leverages Patagonia’s audiences to grow awareness around 4walls mission and good work.