Allyship comes with an ongoing commitment to addressing communities authentically.

Here's to All Women

Women’s History Month might be coming to a close, but we’ll be celebrating women all year long.

Regular

Lifting as we climb: Shining a light on a woman who helped shaped the Houston we all love

Christia Adair's lifelong commitment to expanding equity and access for her community is an inspiration. Adair championed women's rights and equality for African Americans.

Christia Adair had an immeasurable impact on Houston.

TIMOTHY OMUNDSON (FT. SELMA BLAIR) (2020) | Inside of You Podcast w/ Michael Rosenbaum #insideofyou

It's hard to navigate stress, especially when you've got an autoimmune disease. Community Organizer Torey Brown writes about how she gets through tough times.

This Too Shall Pass

Stress is difficult to manage, especially with an autoimmune disease.

Annie Dillard says “how we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives." It's been a year since we had to change how we spend our days, how can we change our perception of time, and make it work for us?

Time by any other name

iOS 14. Facebook. Apple. And us. Who will win as tech giants battle it out for our data and our future?

Facebook vs. The World

This year marks our 5th as a B Corporation, joining over 3,800 companies that push back on business and economic models that put profits over people.

Better Business is a B Corp

We deserve a world (and workplace) that gives a damn about something bigger than profits

The Hidden Political Life of Postage Stamps

The postage stamp is a lot more than a sticky tag attached to our envelopes. They are a reflection in culture, and a political tool used to persuade the masses.

Celebrating tiny sheets of beauty, patriotism + philatelic propaganda 

5.4 Million Women Lost Their Jobs Last Year 

We're looking at a sesmic shift in our workforce—and not for the better.

5.4 Million Women Lost Their Jobs Last Year

We're looking at a major shift in our workforce—and not for the better. 

For the Love of Third Ward: An Interview with Marc Furi

Hear from artist Marc Furi on how branding and art have helped bring attention to Houston's Third Ward.

How Marc Furi turned his love of art and his city into a local movement

Here's a roundup of podcasts created by Black creators, covering topics from culture, money, work, and history. There's something in this list for everyone.

A Collection of Podcasts for Black History and Black Culture

February is winding down, but we're continuing our celebration of Black creators.

The Divine Nine | The Daily Social Distancing Show

Black Excellence: A Short History of Black Sororities and Fraternities

The Divine 9 (D9) is a collective of Black Greek-lettered sororities and fraternities that, for decades, have been uplifting and amplifying black voices at American universities. Our Community Organizer, Torey, witnessed first-hand the black excellence these organizations promote.

The Divine Nine (D9) is the example Black collective.

Sounds can transport us, help us heal, help us focus and help us wind down. Here are some suggestions of soundscapes you can bring into your daily lives to help your work, and your relaxation.

From Your Laptop to the World

How we can use the internet to shift our inner landscapes to affect our external realities

Billie Holiday - "Strange Fruit" Live 1959 [Reelin' In The Years Archives]

Kendrick Lamar - Alright

Les Amazones d'Afrique chantent "I Play The Kora"

In the United States, protest music dates back to the 18th century and the American Revolutionary War. During the 19th century, songs were expressions of protest against topics such as poverty, the Civil War, and slavery with African-American spirituals like “Oh, Freedom” defining this time.

A short history of protest music

My knees gettin' weak and my gun might blow

-Pre-chorus from Kendrick Lamar’s "Alright"

Snow days make for great memories, but in the wake of the pandemic, we're lacking those miniscule moments of bliss, like being surrounded by snow.

What's Your Version of a Snow Day?

It snowed last week in my home state of Virginia.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: WHERE OUR PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE COLLIDE

American history is Black history. This February, we're celebrating how our nation's past—and future—is tied to the Black experience.

Welcome to the first day of February and the first day of Black History Month in 2021. 

Murals. Drawings. Paintings. Following George Floyd’s death in 2020, the world saw him globally immortalized by countless artists who created works dedicated to his memory, and pleading for his killers to be brought to justice. George Floyd has become an icon, both in a personal and artistic sense.

A Short History of American Protest Art

As long as America has existed, art has been used in all forms to challenge the status-quo.

Condemned by the Puritans, lamented by the young and wealthy and avoided by all, boredom is now an easily-remedied nuisance of yesteryear. No longer must one twiddle their thumbs in a waiting room, make small talk in an elevator, observe the faces of one’s Fellow Man in the subway, or gaze tragically out the window at passing scenery in a long silent car ride.

Transcendental Nothingness

Our screens have "cured" boredom, but is that really a good thing?

You can’t deny the power of the Tube, and it’s a great tool to use if you’re a small business owner, artist, writer, gamer, or all of the above.

How to get results on YouTube

You don't have to be a trendy blogger to get results with YouTube.

Last week (read: for the last two months), all eyes were on Georgia as they decided who controlled the senate for the first two years of President Elect Joe Biden’s administration. Georgia has been a red state since 1992, so its sudden flip to blue came as a shock to many. 

An Ode to Grassroots Organizers

The key to a free and fair democratic system is making sure that everyone can vote.

2020 has kept us plugged in all year, scrolling through news feeds, texts, emails, you name it. So to celebrate the passing of 2020, we thought we’d share a playlist of the tunes that got us through this SPECTACULAR year.

2020: At Least the Music Was Good

Most branding advice assumes one organization with one leader making the final call. Coalitions, networks with local chapters and groups of partners chasing a shared goal don't work that way. They decide together, priorities compete and the smallest partners often have the fewest people to carry the brand once it exists.

We've been working through these dynamics with the Houston Cultural Districts and the institutions and artists around them, building a shared brand for the city's arts scene. Recently, Natalie Wells (Director of Strategy), Jo Skillman (Creative Director) and Ren Mitchell (Director of Growth) walked through that process at the Houston Media Conference in a luncheon keynote called "Undefinable On Purpose." 

Here's what we've learned that applies to any organization whose brand depends on partners it doesn't control.


Who needs to be heard before a shared brand can take shape?

A shared brand needs input from everyone who will be asked to use it, champion it or be represented by it. Those groups overlap less than most leaders expect. Funders and civic partners tend to focus on visibility and economic impact. Practitioners care about credibility and fair representation. Community members want to know whether the story sounds like them.

We layer our research so each group is heard where they'll be most candid:

1:1 interviews draw out honest perspectives from decision-makers.

Focus groups show how people negotiate their differences in real time.

Sitting in on partner board meetings, when we're invited, adds context no interview can.

This phase doubles as early community building. People are far more likely to adopt a brand they helped shape.

Try this: Before any creative work starts, list every group that will use, fund or be represented by the brand. Then decide how you'll hear from each one.


How should research tensions inform brand strategy?

A tension is a place where two things people care about pull in different directions, and both sides are usually true. As Natalie put it, tensions show where people are most invested, which makes them some of the most useful findings research can turn up.

In our work with the Houston Cultural District, nearly every strength came with a risk. Greater visibility for neighborhood arts could accelerate displacement in communities already under pressure. Recognition tends to concentrate around large institutions, leaving midsize organizations and mid-career artists out of the story. And many of the stakeholders who want a stronger collective story are the same ones who resist being summarized.

Most complex nonprofits carry their own versions: headquarters versus chapters, legacy programs versus emerging ones, a national message versus local identity. Naming them explicitly gives the creative team something real to design around. It also moves the hard conversations to the start of the process, where they cost the least.

Try this: Write your biggest tensions into the research findings as plain either/or statements. Then decide together how the brand will handle each one before design begins.


How can a brand reflect real complexity without losing clarity?

A brand can hold complexity only when it commits to a clear point of view. When research keeps concluding that a community is everything at once, creative teams stall and strategy drifts toward language that feels safe and says very little. Jo named this risk directly in the creative brief:

"We've all heard it said: Houston is a little bit of a lot of things. Diverse, a tapestry rich with culture. However, trying to be everything to everyone will water down our visual and written creative. The brand directions we propose must contain a strong point of view on who we are and why. It's difficult but necessary."

The shared brands that hold up best work as a frame. They hold many stories at once while making a clear claim about what connects them. That gives participants room to see themselves in the brand without diluting the whole.

Try this: Test every brand direction with one question: could another city or coalition say this about itself? If the answer is yes, it isn't specific enough yet.


How do you keep a coalition aligned through creative decisions?

Alignment depends on agreeing to the goal in writing before anyone sees creative. We view the creative brief as the document that nails everything to the wall. Keep it short and candid, and use it to surface likely friction before hours go into design.

The brief earns its keep later, when feedback drifts toward personal preference. The group doesn't need to agree on the shade of blue. It needs to agree the work is reaching the larger goal. With many decision-makers, holding that line keeps reviews productive and protects the timeline.

When stakeholders are creatives themselves, start with a session reviewing a wide range of visual references. The value is in the reasoning behind each reaction, which gives the group a shared vocabulary for every review that follows.

Try this: Open every creative review by rereading the brief's goal out loud. Ask reviewers to tie each piece of feedback back to it.


How does a shared brand stay recognizable across very different organizations?

Consistency in a distributed brand comes from a small set of elements that never change. A system that has to work on a neighborhood mural and a museum banner needs a recognizable thread, whether a color, a mark, a pattern or a phrase. Protect those elements and let everything around them flex to fit the partner and the setting. 

Adoption also depends on capacity. Many coalition partners have no designer or communications staff, so participation has to be easy. Toolkits, templates, co-branding guidance and ready-to-post assets lower the barrier and help smaller organizations stay visible within the brand.

Try this: Choose the few elements partners can never change. Then build a starter kit that a partner with no designer could use in an afternoon.


When should rollout planning begin for a multi-stakeholder brand?

Rollout planning should begin while the brand is still in development. A shared brand gains value only through use, so partner onboarding, distribution and digital activation need to be designed alongside the identity. Each partner should see a role that matches its capacity, from a large institution running a full campaign to a small organization sharing a single post. Planning early also surfaces practical questions, especially around funding, while there's still time to solve them.

Try this: Ask each partner now what they could realistically do in the first month after launch, and build the plan and budget around those answers.


What makes a shared brand worth the effort?

A brand built across many organizations takes more listening and more deliberate facilitation than one built for a single institution. The return is a story more people feel ownership of and will carry into their own work.

If you're leading a coalition, network or multi-partner effort and the brand keeps stalling, we can help. 

Coalitions and multi-partner networks need a brand everyone can carry. Lessons from building a shared Houston arts brand with the Houston Cultural Districts, with steps to try.

How to Build One Brand for Many Organizations | Black Sheep

What building a shared Houston arts brand with the Houston Cultural Districts taught us about building one brand for many organizations

Condensed

Coalitions don’t get one decision-maker or one story. Here’s what we learned building a shared arts brand with the Houston Cultural Districts.

The Black Sheep blog is turning up the volume on community engagement, social media strategy, Houston happenings and what it means to lead a purpose-driven life.

The Black Sheep Agency | Social impact and nonprofit blog

We like to type as much as we like to listen.

We're not shy.

How Can a Coalition Share One Brand?

Here's to All Women

Lifting as we climb: Shining a light on a woman who helped shaped the Houston we all love

This too shall pass

Time by any other name

Facebook vs. The World

Better Business is a B Corp

The Hidden Political Life of Postage Stamps

5.4 Million Women Lost Their Jobs Last Year

For the Love of Third Ward

A Collection of Podcasts for Black History and Black Culture

Black Excellence: A Short History of Black Sororities and Fraternities

FROM YOUR LAPTOP TO THE WORLD

A Short History of Protest Music

What’s Your Version of a Snow Day?

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: WHERE OUR PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE COLLIDE

A Short History of American Protest Art

Transcendental Nothingness

How to Get Results on YouTube

An Ode to Grassroots Organizers

2020: At Least the Music Was Good