Is it a framing company? Is it a construction company? What exactly do you do?
These were just a few of the questions Frameworks of Tampa Bay staff consistently received when meeting and networking with community members, parents and potential supporters.
The organization turned to Round Square for assistance in clarifying its brand and communicating its mission with greater urgency and impact.
The Opportunity
Frameworks of Tampa Bay is a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping children learn to understand, navigate and manage their emotions. Although countless research studies show that children who develop emotional intelligence (EQ) skills become more successful personally, academically and professionally, staff and volunteers struggled to communicate the organization’s mission and relevance consistently. Furthermore, the concept of emotional intelligence wasn’t always understood or viewed as urgent.
While Frameworks focuses on youth and their emotions, messaging led with academic, functional language, while its brand identity featured sharp edges and mechanical typography, both lacking emotional resonance and the human connection it exists to support.
The Research
Round Square conducted extensive research, including a competitive assessment, marketplace analysis, communications audit, and individual interviews with segments of teachers/educators, parents, youth development professionals and current/potential donors.
Two critical insights emerged:
- Emotional intelligence is difficult to explain for many stakeholders. Academic definitions included jargon and terms that required additional explanation. While people have heard of it, it tends to be a concept that doesn’t consistently evoke deep connection.
- Emotional intelligence is often viewed as an after-thought — something that was nice to have rather than a necessity. Teachers commonly perceived it as yet another thing they had to squeeze into an already over-flowing curriculum, while prospects/donors didn’t necessarily equate it as an urgent issue in the sea of needs to support.
Clarifying What Frameworks Does & Why It Matters
Building from the research, Round Square developed a new brand strategy for Frameworks, including a refreshed mission statement, vision, organizing pillars, values and voice attributes.
We transformed their mission statement from a laundry list of audiences and resources to leading with young people and the ultimate outcomes parents, teachers and supporters most desire. The word “equip” in the new mission statement starts with EQ, and lay-friendly language and alliteration make it easier to say and recall.
BEFORE: To empower educators, youth services professionals, and parents and guardians with training, coaching, and research-based resources to equip youth with emotional intelligence skills.
AFTER: To equip every child in Tampa Bay with the knowledge and know-how to become kind, collaborative and capable citizens.
Branding Emotional Intelligence
Our research revealed that driving greater brand understanding of Frameworks was as much about clarifying the concept of emotional intelligence as it was about the organization itself. We defined emotional intelligence in everyday language and aligned it with concepts we heard in our qualitative interviews that audiences most valued about its power:
Imagine if every child in our community enjoyed going to school, made friends easily and graduated on time. Imagine if bullying didn’t exist, and everyone treated each other with kindness and respect, even during disagreements — especially during disagreements.
At Frameworks of Tampa Bay, we not only believe that world is possible; we know how to achieve it.
The secret? Emotional intelligence.
Just like we need air to breathe, humans require emotional intelligence to succeed in just about everything — from learning, making friends, and discussing tough topics to bouncing back after a disappointment.
Emotional intelligence, sometimes referred to as EQ, is the set of critical skills necessary to navigate any emotion, conversation or situation — no matter how difficult.
Research shows that emotionally intelligent kids do better in school, are more likely to graduate, respond to setbacks with resilience, and have a stronger sense of belonging and mental well-being. They’re also more successful in their careers.
But just like children aren’t born knowing their ABCs and 123s, emotional intelligence is something they must learn at home and school. That’s where Frameworks comes in.
Equipped with a new brand strategy and lay-friendly language to describe emotional intelligence, Round Square developed a new messaging guide for Frameworks, including audience-specific messaging for up to eight audiences, from teachers and youth development professionals to parents and prospective donors.
A Revitalized Visual Identity
With a clear brand strategy and revitalized messaging, the organization needed a visual identity that exemplified the same level of excellence with which it delivers its mission.
Having worked diligently during the past five years to develop brand recognition and equity, Frameworks wanted to build on its existing logo rather than adopt an entirely new identity.
Typography
Because emotional intelligence is the essential foundation upon which a person’s future success is built, Round Square used the concept of building blocks and foundational frameworks to evolve the existing logo.
First, we shifted the primary font from having sharp, mechanical edges to a typeface that suggested it was for a brand that focuses on youth. To represent the solid foundation of emotional intelligence Frameworks aims to build, we created the wordmark with letterforms that use simple, uniform shapes as building blocks with custom rounded corners to invoke warmth and a youthful spirit. It is bold while remaining hopeful and inviting.
In addition to its full-name logo lock-up, we created a new tagline to drive greater understanding of Frameworks’ mission for use in most instances: Foundational skills for lifelong success.
The Icon & Emotion Graphics
The frame icon was created using the ‘r’ in the wordmark to represent two people coming together. It is a visual representation of the mission that signifies kindness and collaboration. Similarly, we used pieces of the wordmark and the dots from the icon to create a custom set of emotion icons that enable audiences to more immediately associate Frameworks with emotions.
The portion of the wordmark that says “works” was also developed to be used with its secondary font, Laskor, to show how the elements of emotional intelligence work (e.g., empathy works, kindness works, resilience works, collaboration works, emotional intelligence works). This is especially effective for motion graphics and video elements to further connect the brand to managing emotions, and why research shows it works.
Color Palette
The core brand colors are based on the primary colors of blue, red and yellow. Just like emotional intelligence is the foundation upon which all other skills are built, primary colors are the foundation for creating all other colors. We selected these to represent the foundational skills Frameworks is building around the vast array of emotions people experience.
The primary colors and full color palette also give a nod to Frameworks’ coastal Florida environment with its sunny skies and surrounding waterways.
Sample Brand Messaging
Frameworks of Tampa Bay is the leading nonprofit dedicated to equipping all children in our community with the knowledge and know-how to become kind, collaborative and capable citizens. With the complex challenges kids face today, we provide positive and personalized learning experiences that develop their emotional intelligence — the critical skills necessary to navigate any emotion, conversation or situation, no matter how difficult.
From preschool through high school, Frameworks partners with trusted adults to model and teach emotional intelligence to children of all ages and prepares teens to practice it through real-world leadership experiences. Our customized coaching, workshops and strategies are proven to help kids do better in school, graduate on time, respond to setbacks with resilience, excel in the workplace, and experience a stronger sense of belonging and mental well-being.
Together with families, teachers and youth organizations, we will achieve a vibrant community where every person succeeds personally, academically and professionally because emotional intelligence is practiced everywhere we live and learn.
The Impact
Frameworks is currently in the process of rolling out its new brand, including refreshing its website to match its new identity. We can’t wait to see all this special nonprofit will accomplish with a clear and compelling strategy and consistent visual language.
