The following is from an article in the Fall 2009 Issue of the Scoop, a publication of Open Arms of Minnesota (www.openarmsmn.org).
A longtime friend of Open Arms, Jay Miller was kind when he delicately hinted that perhaps our look was a bit outdated. Given our exciting capital campaign, our expansion to serve more people, our programs in Africa and our bold future, Jay suggested that our existing identity fell short of expressing the real scope of our work. Lucky for us, Jay generously offered the services of his design firm, IMAGEHAUS (www.imagehaus.net), to create and help implement a new brand identity for Open Arms that we’re launching with this issue of Scoop.
Since 2000, the IMAGEHAUS Giving Program has donated more that $2 million in creative services to nonprofit organizations that help people in need. Open Arms is forever grateful to be the beneficiary of nearly $121,000 in services from this worthwhile community-service effort.
The IMAGEHAUS experts are known for taking the time to thoroughly understand an organization before beginning the design process. The results of their extensive analysis determined what they call our “Brand DNA.” Our DNA informs the fresh look and message that will help expand our reach and attract new supporters. Thank you to Jay Miller and his talented creative team.
What defines who you are as a person? What guides you on how you choose to act as a corporate citizen? I obviously can’t answer those questions for you, but I can share what guides us at IMAGEHAUS to help make this world a better place to live, work and play.
Compassion. Creativity. Candor. Courage. The 4Cs. These values have been the foundation IMAGEHAUS has been building upon since I started my own design consultancy back in 2000. In order to be distinctively different, I made a strong commitment to provide $1M in creative services for organizations rich in these values — the 4Cs. I made this commitment by making it part of our marketing plan, with the ultimate goal of building brand awareness and my network, while at the same time helping those in need.
Many people questioned my sanity when I told them my plan — a plan that today has amounted to 35% of our total revenue. I see it differently. How else would I have received the gift of knowing so many wonderful people in a huge community like the Twin Cities as I do today? How can I put a price on these genuine relationships?
So, why did I choose these four words to guide our HAUS? The “why” comes from “how” each one comes to life here at IMAGEHAUS.
Compassion: to understand, in your hearts, the suffering of others and then do something about it. No matter how big or small.
Creativity: to transcend traditional ideas into meaningful solutions and put the power of design to work.
Candor: to be candid, free from bias and filled with honesty and clarity in attitude and speech. Expanding audiences and clarifying the vital messages that compel people to care, to listen, and to act.
Courage: to remain true to our convictions, leading us to act based on our beliefs. To create impact, especially in spite of criticism.
With the 4Cs in place for 10 years now, we surpassed our fiscal goal by giving $1.8M in creative services to date. (We surpass our emotional goal every day.) Those 4Cs are now becoming Foresee, The IMAGEHAUS Giving Program — our ongoing way of paying it forward.
I knew this would be a long-term investment. It would build over time into something bigger than we imagined. And I knew it would help tell the story of a distinctively different design firm, called IMAGEHAUS.
Something that could not be foreseen has recently happened on the personal front. I was selected as one of the top 20 men in One Man Minneapolis, a competition that will select one man who best represents the best of the Twin Cities from the perspective of community involvement. I am honored, to say the least, for receiving this recognition for giving back — based on the 4Cs that sparked the creation of IMAGEHAUS 10 years ago.
Thanks for listening to our story. We would love to hear yours.