How we’re raising the bar for non-profit organizations and small businesses

One of our core values at Rock & Bloom is ‘make a difference’. One of the ways we’re making a difference is by offering pro bono branding services for non-profit organizations and small businesses that might not otherwise have the resources to work with us.

The Who

You might have heard of us, but for those who are new here, we’re a Canadian-based brand studio with a knack for creating beautiful, functional, and results-driven projects. We’ve been fortunate to make a career out of building relationships and creating killer brands for hundreds of clients across the globe. We do everything from new brand identities, to full-blown websites, to crafting game-changing campaigns.

The What

Meet Brand Aid.    

We created Brand Aid with the intention of helping a ‘Champion of Choice’ elevate their brand and tell their story through in-kind donated work. The brands that we choose align with our core values and respect the work that we do. 

Non-profit organizations and small businesses do a lot with a little. They do so much for our communities, and yet very often lack the budget to elevate their brand or even properly communicate their services and skills to potential donors, clients or customers. They might lack the resources needed to create a strong brand identity, build a fully-functional, and user-friendly website, or to tell their story in an effective and far-reaching way. And yet, these are the stories that need to be heard the most. 

Brand Aid’s mission is to give a megaphone to those storytellers; to create positive change within an organization, giving them new tools to grow and succeed. 

The Why 

“At the core of our business is to make an impact. We don’t just want to make things that are pretty – we want to affect change in a client’s business.”

 – Heather Adams, CEO of Rock & Bloom

Brand Aid supports organizations that share our values and vision. Together, we’re able to build a partnership built on empathy and creative collaboration, producing impactful results that would otherwise not be possible. 

Brand Aid is not only meaningful to the client, but also fills the cups of our team members who are passionate about the work they are doing.  

Our mission is to be the best brand studio to work with and work for. Upholding this mission involves continually communicating with our team, rating fulfillment after each project, and really listening to feedback to determine what projects we spend our time and resources on.

The Impact

Our first Champion of Choice was Ronald McDonald House Charities Saskatchewan (RMHC-SK). This incredible organization offers a safe, secure, and nourishing environment  for families caring for their sick child receiving medical treatment in Saskatchewan.

RMHC-SK keeps families together, during what is a stressful and challenging time. The work that they do and programs they provide,  positively impacts the health and wellbeing of the entire family.

“It’s so incredibly rewarding to be a part of a project that is vital to our community and will have a huge impact on families’ lives – even long after they’ve left the house.”

– Mellary Bitner, Designer. 

When it came to choosing RMHC-SK it was an easy decision. We’ve worked with them for years on smaller projects and have developed a collaborative partnership that always results in both teams feeling fulfilled. The work that they do is so impactful and we felt honoured to be able to partner with their team again to tell their story in a truly compelling way. 

For this project, we built RMHC-SK a new website that is true to their mission, while showing what they do in a way that speaks to their audience. The end result is both functional and beautiful, creating a positive user experience and leaving the user with a lasting impression.

“We have truly enjoyed the time spent in collaboration with Rock & Bloom over the many years we have engaged with their team as our Design Agency. The Rock & Bloom team is incredibly easy to work with and truly understands our brand and mission. The sharing of their expertise as true partners to our organization is valued and appreciated by our entire team.”

– Tammy Forrester, CEO Ronald McDonald House Charities Saskatchewan

Rising to the Challenge: How Strategic Design and Storytelling Fueled a Polytechnic’s $100M Fundraising Goal

Saskatchewan Polytechnic drives the province’s growth by aligning with industry needs, fostering collaboration on applied research, and supporting labour market development.

With its activities and students contributing approximately $2.6 billion to the provincial economy, Saskatchewan Polytechnic supports one in every 19 jobs in the province.

Currently, Saskatchewan Polytechnic is spread across multiple locations, making things challenging for students to get the full campus experience and easy access to services and support.

Enter the Time to Rise campaign.

Challenge Accepted

The Time to Rise campaign aims to empower Saskatchewan Polytechnic graduates and strengthen the provincial economy with a new, 21st century Saskatoon campus.

This new campus will consolidate an existing network of decentralized outdated buildings into a modern, technology-rich learning environment, making it a one-stop shop for learning and community growth.

Our goal was to create a visually compelling campaign that supports Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s drive for fundraising and helps them to achieve their $100M fundraising goal.

Big Goals Lead to Big Gains

The project scope included: 

  • Brand identity
    • Personas
    • Key messaging
  • Marketing Collateral
    • Branded slide deck 
    • Pop up banner design
    • Social media templates
    • Email design template
  • Video Collateral
    • Short format videos for social
    • Digital ads
  • Microsite

Getting Down to Business  

Brand Identity

Our goals with the design were to create something eye-catching, bold and exciting, adding more depth and personality to Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s overall brand. We wanted the campaign design to feel new and fresh, while still staying true to its familiar roots.  

Featuring a strong silhouette, we chose a colour palette that was connected to the main brand, yet allowed for the campaign to stand out on its own. Our font pairings are high-impact, bold and confident, drawing users in immediately.

Microsite

The microsite is an expansion of the brand, telling Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s story and creating meaningful conversations around donations. It serves as a powerful storytelling tool by driving targeted messaging, capturing the attention of potential donors, and inspiring action.

A strong microsite enhances user experience with a clear narrative and easy navigation, making it simpler for visitors to understand the institution’s mission and the value of their contributions. By creating an immersive and engaging online environment, we’ve helped to build trust and encourage deeper involvement.

Celebrating The Wins

Our collaboration with Saskatchewan Polytechnic resulted in a $100,000 donation the day the new site went live. Users commented on how easy the site was to use and how engaging the design was. Through thoughtful collaboration and execution, the end result has set Saskatchewan Polytechnic up for success on their path to $100M! 

“We at Saskatchewan Polytechnic want to thank Rock & Bloom for their amazing work on the Time to Rise Capital Campaign website in support of the new Saskatoon Campus. Their design and marketing skills boosted our outreach and engagement, leading to a generous donation that exceeded our expectations. The website’s user-friendly design, compelling content and intuitive navigation has provided us with positive feedback from our community. Rock & Bloom’s work has been invaluable, and we’re excited to continue to work with them on future collaborations.”

Sarah Fedirko, Director Alumni & Donor Relations

Check out the new Time to Rise microsite and support Saskatchewan Polytechnic as they strive to strengthen Saskatchewan’s economy.

Cultivating Success: Ag Company’s Fresh Branding Elevates the Fertilizer Industry 

Vantage Ag is a manufacturer and distributor of liquid fertilizers. Offering a fresh approach and choice over the big companies, Vantage Ag helps increase growers’ chances for success.

Catering to independent ag dealers, agronomists and growers, the team at Vantage Ag are experts at building high-value relationships through high-value products and a customized approach. They understand the unique challenges that farmers face and aim to remove barriers with their new fertilizer technology that’s environmentally-friendly, high-efficiency and liquid technology. 

Vantage Ag wanted to position itself as an independent manufacturer and distributor, appealing to both large and small agricultural companies. Focusing on technology and products, our goal was to gain potential new clients across North America.

Challenge Accepted

Working closely with the Vantage Ag team, we were able to create a new design that reflects their brand, and build a new website that effectively tells their story and conveys why they’re different from other distributors.

Big Goals Lead to Big Gains

The project scope included: 

  • Brand strategy
    • Personas
    • Key messaging
  • Brand identity
  • Marketing assets
    • Business cards
    • Slide deck templates
    • Product packaging
  • Custom design & strategic site architecture
    • Custom infographics
    • Site architecture comprehensively built with users in mind
  • Website design & development

Getting Down to Business  

Brand Identity

Our goals with this brand were to convey a feeling of strength & approachability, while also showcasing how they are technologically advanced & innovative.

We created a scalable design that is professional, yet simple to manage. Without being overly complex, the brand can grow and evolve as the business does.

Logo

The Vantage Ag logo is simple, clean, and recognizable. It is composed of small line shapes, which play homage to the rows in a farmer’s field. These small lines create two larger triangle shapes that represent the letters V and A in the company’s name.

Colour Palette

Colour is an integral part of Vantage Ag’s brand identity, and reinforces the cohesiveness of the brand. The primary colours are Sprout Green and Harvest Green, with Black as the main accent colour. 

Green is symbolic of the prairies of Saskatchewan, and is known to symbolize growth and renewal. The secondary colours complement the primary colours and represent “dusk to dawn” – Dedicated and hard-working, a farmer’s work never ends.

Website

We needed to create a website that features product details with images and concise descriptions, designed to drive potential new clients to contact Vantage Ag’s team. The design is meant to be scalable, flexible, user-friendly, and easy to navigate, all while meeting accessibility guidelines.

Leveraging Vantage Ag’s new branding, we used images and illustrations to further highlight their technology, educating end-users about the benefits of their products.

Photography

The Vantage Ag brand is about supporting farmers through the innovation of fertilizer technology, and strong relationship building. The images are meant to balance the stories of these people and the positive effects of Vantage’s fertilizer product.

The photography is clean, natural and professional. We wanted to focus on 3 main aspects: Showcasing agricultural fields from above, relatable farmers at work, and the macro detailed images of plants and all their parts.

Infographic

Combining design and development, we created a custom animated infographic to highlight and explain how Vantage Ag’s sub nano technology actively works. The infographic visually breaks down technical information in a digestible way. Oh, and did we mention that it’s cool to look at too!

Celebrating The Wins

Our partnership with Vantage Ag was collaborative and creative. We created a bold and refreshing design that sets Vantage Ag apart, while showcasing them as a leader in their industry.

“Rock & Bloom does outstanding work, we have had many compliments from our customers on the site.”

Paul, Founder

Check out their new website to learn more about how they’re changing the game for growers everywhere.