Saint Emblem & Sullivan
Beginning the next century with new tools.
Sullivan Marketing and Creative Review
April 2025
our role
Brand Creation and Management
Web Design & Development
Foundation Collateral Design
Marketing Dept Protocols
Organizational Consulting
Foundational Narrative Platform
In recent months, Saint Emblem has played a pivotal role in the Sullivan Foundation’s brand and marketing development. We created the Ignite Conference brand system, established new guidelines, and refined the Foundation’s identity. Our team also developed the 100 Years brand, fundraising materials, and the annual appeal while managing dozens of digital and print projects. We implemented key marketing protocols, including file management, software usage, staff training, and project management.
Looking forward, we will be developing a new Sullivan Foundation website to enhance user experience, support the 100 Years initiatives, streamline access to programming, and improve features like online donations to boost conversions.
Digital Projects (Including new site)
Print Projects and Templates
Operations Projects
Copywriting and narrative Projects
Identifying the Need.
The Original Call
Saint Emblem was initially engaged by the Sullivan Foundation to develop the 100 Years branding, a project celebrating the Foundation’s legacy. As we worked on this initiative, we identified several other areas of the Foundation’s brand platform that lacked defined guidelines and consistent processes for creating marketing assets. Recognizing the need for a more cohesive approach, we helped establish clear brand guidelines and streamlined workflows, ensuring that all future marketing materials would align with the Foundation’s evolving identity and vision.
100 Years Brand System
The 100 Years brand system was designed for versatility, allowing it to adapt for each university’s centennial celebration over the next several years. Each university’s 100-year logo features three variable graphics, unique to its history, while incorporating its core brand color. This approach ensures that each institution feels represented in its partnership with the Sullivan Foundation, reinforcing that the past century is a collective story of collaboration, not just one of Sullivan alone.
Applications
The 100 Years brand system was intentionally built for adaptability across all print and digital platforms, ensuring consistency while allowing for unique representation. Whether for an event, mailing, or social media post, the system ensures that each university and the Sullivan Foundation maintain a cohesive yet flexible brand identity. By incorporating adjustable elements, the branding can reflect the individuality of each school, while also maintaining a consistent, replicable design that strengthens the collective story of the Foundation’s century-long impact.
Ignite Retreat
A Youth Movement
The branding for the Ignite Retreat was crafted to provide a youthful, college student-centered feel while ensuring sustainability for future events. Saint Emblem developed a dynamic visual identity with a versatile logo system, vibrant color palette, and modern typography, designed to resonate with students while maintaining consistency year after year. This approach guarantees a fresh yet cohesive look for each iteration of the retreat, reinforcing the Ignite’s purpose and future growth.
Individuality
The Ignite branding complements the Sullivan Foundation’s established identity while carving out its own distinct, memorable persona. Featuring its own iteration of the flame symbol, the design is paired with event-driven graphics that can be easily adapted for both physical and digital spaces. As Ignite expands into various formats and lengths beyond the retreat itself, the brand system ensures that a graphic storytelling solution is always ready to support this growth. This flexibility allows the Ignite brand to evolve seamlessly while maintaining a strong, consistent visual narrative across all touchpoints.
Sullivan Brand Evolution
Setting Rules
The Annual Appeal
Saint Emblem played a key role in developing the design, tone, and copywriting for the Sullivan Foundation’s first annual appeal letter. The design was crafted to be both visually compelling and aligned with the Foundation’s brand identity, while the tone was carefully tailored to resonate with potential donors—striking a balance between heartfelt gratitude and a clear call to action. The copywriting highlighted the Foundation’s impact, mission, and values, engaging readers and encouraging support, all while adhering to the new brand aesthetic.
Mission Updates
Mission, Vision, Values
We revamped the Sullivan Foundation’s narrative platform by refining the mission, vision, and values statements to better reflect its core purpose. For each of these, we developed a sentence, paragraph, and page structure, providing both concise and detailed versions for various use cases. This ensures that the Foundation has flexible, consistent messaging for different situations. We will also train the Foundation’s team to effectively communicate these elements, ensuring a unified story across all touchpoints.
Narrative Guidelines
We developed the Sullivan Foundation’s narrative guidelines to complement the visual brand standards. These guidelines define how to communicate the Foundation’s programming, events, and mission with consistent tone, grammatical structure, and vocabulary across all platforms. Serving as a resource for staff, the guidelines ensure uniform messaging, and through training, they help maintain clarity and impact in all communications.
New Website
Why the Need?
The new Sullivan Foundation website will be designed to communicate more efficiently and clearly, offering an intuitive, user-friendly experience. We will ensure key information about the Foundation’s mission and programming is easily accessible, while also improving functionality for submitting inquiries and making online donations. This revamp will streamline processes and encourage greater engagement, providing a seamless platform for users to connect with the Foundation.
Process and Procedures
Project Management and Proofing
We’ve implemented Asana for standardized project management, allowing us to track all marketing projects with detailed tasks, due dates, and assignees. Additionally, we’ve set up a proofing protocol through Adobe Creative Cloud, sending all marketing materials to Foundation leadership and staff for review, edits, and approval before publication. This ensures consistent brand usage and the grammatical accuracy of all public-facing content, aligning with the Foundation’s guidelines.
Metrics and KPI Protocol
The Sullivan Foundation’s metrics and KPI protocols focus on tracking the effectiveness of marketing efforts through clear, measurable goals. These include monitoring engagement rates, donor conversions, campaign reach, and overall brand awareness. Regular analysis ensures alignment with strategic objectives, enabling data-driven decisions that optimize performance and guide future initiatives.
Audience Segmentation Protocol
The Sullivan Foundation’s audience segmentation protocols are designed to tailor messaging for specific groups, including general awareness, alumni, and donor demographics. We categorize audiences based on behavior, interests, and engagement history to ensure targeted, relevant communications.
Internal Collaborations Protocol
The Sullivan Foundation’s internal collaboration protocols promote open communication and idea sharing. Regular brainstorming sessions, project meetings, and cross-departmental check-ins ensure alignment and foster innovation. Feedback is encouraged, with every team member’s input contributing to more effective and creative outcomes.
Training and Tech
Introducing Tools
We’ve introduced new technology at the Sullivan Foundation to streamline operations. Asana improves project management and collaboration, while future website advancements will enhance user experience. We’ve also implemented a QR code platform with trackable links across marketing materials, improving access to event registrations, content, and donations. These upgrades enhance engagement and support the Foundation’s growth.
Adobe Creative Cloud
We’ve trained staff to use Adobe design tools like Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign to create materials aligned with the Sullivan brand system. This ensures we’re using the best technology for accurate marketing efforts. Adobe’s proofing feature also allows direct feedback from decision-makers, reducing miscommunication and delays from email threads.
Vendor Network
We’ve partnered with vendors like Smartpress for printing fundraising and event materials, improving quality and reducing production costs. With perks like rewards points and discount codes, we can fulfill printing needs at lower rates and faster speeds, streamlining the process and delivering high-quality materials more efficiently.
Storage
We’ve implemented a new file management system and coding structure for all marketing projects, categorizing documents by purpose, program type, and timeline. This ensures efficient cross-referencing and successful searches, minimizing tracking time. The system is fully integrated with our project management platform, Asana, allowing for seamless coordination and easy access to all project-related files.
SUMMARY
These marketing efforts have been a true collaboration, and it’s been a pleasure working with the Sullivan team. Their dedication and enthusiasm have made every project seamless. We’re confident that these new tools and knowledge will further enhance the Foundation’s marketing capabilities, driving even greater impact and success moving forward.
