"How might we rename and rebrand an organization using co-design and co-creation?"
Promundo was founded in Brazil in the late 90's to engage boys and men to foster gender equity. In 2011, the organization opened an affiliate office in Washington D.C, USA, under the name Promundo-US. Ten years later, in the fall of 2021, the Brazil office sent Promundo-US a cease and desist, severing their ties from the US office. This cease and desist required that Promundo-US rename, rebrand and redesign their website in under seven months. Co-designing a process, engaging nearly sixty stakeholders to co-create a new name, and branding in less than five months was a challenge, we were able to successfully relaunch Promundo-US as 'Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice on time and with full engagement and support.
ROLE
Strategic Design
Stakeholder Research
Co-creation
Co-Design
Facilitation
Vendor Coordination
Project Management
DURATION
Seven Months
PROCESS
OVERVIEW
Taking into account the limited amount of time, I knew that the process would need to be structured, there were certain points of order that would be necessary (such as board approval), and that consensus would not be the goal, even though it was clear that staff wanted input on the name. From feedback, as well as important considerations, I outlined the following, which informed the co-created process design:
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How might we structure the process to ensure blue sky thinking, while at the same time, creating parameters to scope the ideation?
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How might we ensure name input from staff and external stakeholders throughout the process, while moving quickly and not having too many cooks in the proverbial kitchen?
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How might we create a process for feedback on name suggestions that is methodical and inclusive, while ensuring expediency?
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How might we create a process that is iterative?
CO-DESIGNED PROCESS OUTLINE
1. KICKOFF
The first step was presenting the process to staff for final feedback and buyin. Next was creating a volunteer committee, which included staff from each department and from junior to senior staff, to lead the rename process, which we titled the Ideation Committee'
2. SETTING PARAMATERS
Under the leadership of the Ideation Committee, features of the name were prioritized- would the name be literal, descriptive, metaphor. From the top five feature priorities, the features we presented to the staff to vote on what features the name should have
3. NAME IDEATION
Once the name features were prioritized, the Ideation Committee began several weeks of name generation, reducing their total list to five recommendations, which were then put staff, the board and stakeholders to vote, from most to least favorite
4. ITERATION
From the staff, board and stakeholder votes, as well as commented feedback, the Ideation Committee iterated on the names in order to land at one to two names, which then presented back to staff for a final round of feedback
5. FINAL FEEDBACK
After taking the first round of feedback into account and iterating on the name, the Ideation Committee presented the second round of name suggestions for a final vote, landing on a name, to be presented to the board for approval
6. APPROVAL
Given the Promundo's nonprofit status, in order to change the name, the board had to approve the name suggestion. Given their participation, clear outline of the process and engagement, the board approved the name without hesitation
CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
CHALLENGES
On my first day as Communications Director for Promundo-US I was informed of the cease and desist. The first challenge was the timeline: about six months to rename, rebrand and launch a new website. A second challenge, and perhaps the most significant, was incorporating the feedback I received while interviewing staff about the rename: historic pain points around decision making and the lack of process, transparency and inclusion. Lastly, there was the challenge of constructing a PR strategy and campaign that included a reframe of the rename.
OPPORTUNITIES
With over twenty staff, ten board members and a number of close external stakeholders, such as partner organizations and funders, there was an opportunity to co-design a process that was transparent from the outset and inclusive by ensuring input throughout. Additionally, I saw an opportunity to leverage the rename/rebrand to energize the few staff that had been around for a while who had expressed burnout, as well as engage the number of new staff, given the high turnover rate. There was also another opportunity to foster team building, excitement, participation and a sense of ownership over the rename and generate a sense of an organizational relaunch.
VOTING FEEDBACK SAMPLE
PROCESS FEEDBACK
" I have to say, as someone who was very skeptical about Promundo's renaming and its overall future (and whether I wanted to be a part of it), you exceeded all expectations there. Equimundo in name is in my honest opinion a complete byproduct of your hard work and vision. You guided everyone through it with so much care and positivity and I hope everyone is as appreciative as I am. "
- Equimundo Senior Staff Member
REBRAND
OVERVIEW
After landing on the new name, the next step was to create the new logo. Working with social impact design firm, Radish Labs, we collaborated to co-design the new logo. Although Radish Lab already had a collaborative methodology in place, we were able to provide the additional feedback we had received during the rename process to inform their iterations.
Radish Lab's Design Methodology
DRAFT ONE
First Round of Design Suggestions
FEEDBACK
Having familiarized staff, board and external stakeholders with a ranking and feedback system during the rename process, folks were well accustomed with providing feedback when it came to proposed logo designs.
DESIGN REFINEMENT
DRAFT TWO
Although there was overwhelming support for the 'Cycles' design, there was also consistent feedback suggesting that the next iteration look less like a pharmaceutical/tech company. Also, a number of people felt the logo was missing some 'character.'
DRAFT THREE
DELIVERY: FINAL VERSION
