During a five-month period, I conducted research and competitive analysis, collaborated on the design process, and oversaw the launch of the new branding.

 

Research Phase

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The research phase began by determining the user’s needs, starting with a survey of all Arts Club donors, to better understand what the benefits they enjoy and use most, and why. I then interviewed a wide range of individuals, from important stakeholders with a long tradition of philanthropy to the Arts Club, to young professionals who had never given a major philanthropic gift but had a love of theatre. The interviews allowed me to form a strategy for growing support among existing donors, and attracting younger theatre lovers who had the capacity but were not attracted to the offerings. My design thinking and content strategy was informed by the insights into why did or did not invest in local theatre, where they find value in participating, and what they find frustrating in their participation in the year-round membership program. The interviews also informed the user journey, which helped me understand how to improve the donation process and task completion as donors responded to calls for action.

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Definition Phase

 

I then undertook industry research of the benefits and value propositions for membership programs of the major arts organization across Canada, the US, UK, and Australia. My research found that the leading companies offered exclusive experiential benefits and access to the artistic process that could not be purchased. I also found that we could increase our giving level range and remain competitive with other offerings within Vancouver. I also interviewed the artistic and production team, to better understand why they felt theatre needs support, and what the impact of giving is on them.
 

The definition phase and gathering of requirements began with interviews of the staff and the executive leadership who use and distribute the collateral in their solicitations. They required a well-designed print piece for face-to-face meetings with donors, sponsors, and board members. They needed the piece to reflect the brand and prestige of leadership giving at the Arts Club, so as to compete with other high end Vancouver Arts organizations like the Vancouver Opera, Symphony, and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Both the brochure and webpage needed to educate donors on the impact of their giving, communicate value at each giving level, and provide instructions on how to donate through multiple giving channels.

 

Working with the director of development, I determined the budget that was the most significant investment the development team had made into promotional pieces. We set benchmarks for the financial performance of ADC during that fiscal year that would justify the expense. I then worked with both the printer and web designer to determine the constraints and specifications.

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Design Phase

 

The design phase started by examining the core of the program, the tiered benefits that shape the donor’s participation and engagement with I redesigned the membership levels and benefits, with each level offering unique experiences that would enable donors to see their impact directly. The old benefits included tangible benefits like discounts, posters, and beverages, but our research found that many users fatigued of these benefits early, and that they were an expensive burden on the staff to track and manage. The new benefits included exclusive access to rehearsals, talks, and meetings with artists that would not only be fun and exciting, but also deepen their emotional connection by meeting the people whose art and practice were improved because of their patronage. The benefits were designed to give staff more opportunities to have face-to-face engagements with the higher-level donors, to breed opportunities to build organic relationships. It also heightened their appreciation and understanding of the art, so that they became better advocates of the Arts Club in the community.

 

Two of the five levels, including the entry level, were increased by $500 after a financial evaluation of the costs and profit margin required for the viability of the program. More unique experiences were placed at higher levels to ensure that donors would be enticed to grow their giving over time. While designing, I continually prototyped and revised the offerings after interviewing donors and staff to validate both the value offered, and test the language with which it was presented.
 

I then created a user journey for our persona, and then designed the user flow and information architecture. I then worked with a graphic artist to develop the visual design, including coordinating multiple photoshoots to curate the imagery. The imagery and testimonials from artists were placed across from a benefits ladder, to convey the sense that deepening financial investment would correlate to a greater impact.

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Production Phase

 

The production involved working with our suppliers onsite to produce a 4-fold 16×9” brochure with a built-in pocket to carry a donation form. It was printed on 100 lb paper with a silk overlay to make it luxurious to the touch. I worked with World Exposure, our web developer, to build and test our new webpages and transaction path.

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The content was then reworked for the interactions and information architecture required for the website, blog, and transactional site, with digital storytelling and an emphasis on calls to action.

 

Both the brochure and redesigned website were implemented through the announcement of the 52nd season in March 2014.