Creating a lodge brand
The lodge’s brand is an integral piece to how the lodge creates publications, interacts with the council, and attracts new Ordeal members. Clear branding enables you, the lodge leadership, to convey everything you want somebody to know about your lodge and the Order of the Arrow in one clear and concise message.
Imagine for instance that a younger Scout sees an Arrowman at a local council event with their lodge flap on and that member is promoting cheerful service or is at a booth talking about the spirit of brotherhood. This young Scout will now associate the lodge with one of these two aspects. Now, imagine that same Scout seeing an Arrowman horsing around at a council event or being actively disengaged from the event. This Scout will now not see the positive aspects of the organization because of the first impression, impacting the brand of the lodge.
Additionally, a lodge brand fits within the larger scale of the Order of the Arrow branding, as each lodge can be associated with the organization. It can be helpful to ask the question: Does this brand help to further the message of the Order of the Arrow? How can our association help to enhance the lodge and the organization?
Your lodge’s brand should be distinct while still falling within the Order of the Arrow Branding Guidelines (this can be found below under resources). The lodge brand will help to convey your intentions (I.E. service) and adds weight to the quality of an event because of the lodge’s association. Creation of a brand can be simple, utilizing your lodge’s totem, but it is helpful to ensure that the brand is utilized correctly and not diluted. For instance, newsletter headers are a perfect time to have lodge branding present, but a Key-3 agenda sheet wouldn’t necessitate such steps.
Remember, you are representing not just your lodge, but the Order as a whole in these publications. For many, the lodge will be the most contact they have with the Order of the Arrow and associate the whole Order to the lodge, so ensuring the lodge and the Order of the Arrow share the same message is vital.
Basics of graphic design
When you walk into an art museum, it’s likely that you’re drawn to certain pieces of artwork. You might not know why, but you just know that this particular painting pulls you in and makes you feel something. You could even stand in front of it for an hour and not get bored. Well, graphic design is art, and even though most of it does not hang in a museum, People encounter it every day. Graphic design supports all of your marketing efforts.
Let’s make those efforts go further. The more you know about graphic design, the more input you can provide your designer with and the more you’ll love the final product.
Here are 10 things you need to know about graphic design:
Graphic design includes five elements
- Shapes are the foundation upon which all design stands. They’re used to establish layouts, create patterns, and build elements on a page.
- Lines are like walls in a house. They’re used to divide space, direct the eye, and create forms.
- Color is like furniture in a house. It’s used to make an image or text stand out and evoke emotion.
- Type is like artwork in a house. It’s used to set a mood and communicate more effectively.
- Images (photos and illustrations) are like the people who live in the house. They tell stories and grab your attention.
White space is critical to good design
The most important element of effective marketing is the message. White space, or negative space, is critical to getting that message across, because it allows the human eye to focus on and read the message easily.
One website that illustrates this idea beautifully is Cuyana. Not only is the text surrounded by white space, but the models in the images are, too.
Minimal design is powerful
Clean, simple design elements are powerful because they stand out and are easy to remember. They can also communicate volumes without saying a thing.
Choose typefaces that are easy to read
Yes, you want to be a little creative, but when selecting a typeface for headings, subheads, and body text, use one that’s easy to read. In keeping with our minimalistic theme, limit the number of typefaces you use.
Consistency is key
Whether you’re working on your website or social media posts, be consistent from one to the next. That means you want to use the same typeface and font size for heads and subheads, position design elements in the same place from page to page, and choose images that use the same color palette and style (or edit photos with the same filter).
The easiest way to stay consistent: duplicate your pages, and then swap out text and images. For example, Rue Magazine does this for their digital magazine.
Graphic design is an art and a science, keeping these ten things in mind should help put you on your way to understanding and evaluating your own marketing materials.
Graphic Design tools:
Creating a unified and consistent look is only one part of the process. The second and most important part is ensuring that the brand is utilized and enforced on a consistent basis. Using the tools below, you’ll be able to ensure the brand is being enforced in a consistent manner.
Canva
A free tool that can be utilized to create fresh graphics for use on social media and other electronic communications.
PROS:
- Gives users simple tools to create effective graphics
- Easy to use interface with a wide variety of templates
- Good repository of design-ready images
CONS:
- Lack of control over cropping and layering
- It is sometimes difficult to find the right template for your project
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Creative Cloud is a set of applications and services that gives subscribers access to a collection of software used for graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, along with a set of mobile applications and also some optional cloud services.
PROS:
- You don’t have to keep paying for the upgrades
- You can access your plan virtually anywhere
- Universal license to all Adobe software
CONS:
- Massive learning curve for those not familiar with Creative Cloud
- There is no guarantee of consistent pricing
- The downloads are not portable from computer to computer
- Licenses are purchased on a per user basis
Branding resources
The branding page has several resources to utilize. These include the following:
- Branding Guidelines PDF
- Copies of Order of the Arrow Assets in PNG and EPG
- Presentation Templates
- Typography
- Color Palettes
- Email Signature
If there are ever any questions on resources, brand utilization or application, please email @email for additional help.