2021

Smashing good Pinatas: brand identity design + Development for an nfp social enterprise by addus portfolio by maison zolts

In 2021, Maison founder + principal Dasha Zolota worked with Addus Org - a Toronto-based charitable organization that wanted to turn some of its best selling products into a meaningful work opportunity for adults with developmental disabilities. Maison Zolts developed their brand strategy and identity, created a series of 8-bit inspired graphic characters to represent their products, and gave Smashing Good Pinatas a brand their participants would be proud to wear, that they could also monetize through merch.

2021

Smashing good Pinatas: brand identity design + Development for an nfp social enterprise by addus portfolio by maison zolts

In 2021, Maison founder + principal Dasha Zolota worked with Addus Org - a Toronto-based charitable organization that wanted to turn some of its best selling products into a meaningful work opportunity for adults with developmental disabilities. Maison Zolts developed their brand strategy and identity, created a series of 8-bit inspired graphic characters to represent their products, and gave Smashing Good Pinatas a brand their participants would be proud to wear, that they could also monetize through merch.

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the takeaway:

Not-for-profits, charitable organizations, and social enterprises need branding that sells itself to improve the business' viability. At Maison Zolts, we understand that NFPs have modest budgets and noble goals. That's why we offer a variety of flexible packages and options that scale within your budgetary constraints. We'd rather grow with you than turn you away over penny pinching.

We recently hired Maison Zolts to create a branding for our new Social Enterprise Pinata business. We needed something fresh, creative, innovative and fun to attract our customer base to our unique product. Maison Zolts delivered and made the process of branding smooth and engaging. They listened to our needs and also guided us with their expertise. They were able to think out of the box and meet our needs. We can’t wait to launch the website soon! Thank-you Maison Zolts!

to succeed you need:

the right plan for the right price

A stunning brand shouldn’t be accessible for only those with premium level budgets. At Maison Zolts, we work backwards with our clients. Our goal is first to understand your needs and the budget you’re working with, then we use our proprietary Build Your Own Brand formula to create the perfect plan in the time frame with the right team members just for you. We want to work with everyone at every stage of their business. We believe that if you grow, we grow.

the dream team to make your vision reality

The most important part of any branding, design or marketing project is the foundation: strategy. Maison Principal Dasha Zolota spearheaded the brand strategy portion of this project, alongside some extra marketing deliverables including stationery and merch mockups, while teaming up with Maison Brand Designer Alandra Monette to bring this vintage vision into technicolour reality. This graphic heavy brand is light, bright, fun and anything but your boring NFP brand design.

consistent content creation and ongoing visual updates

Once a brand identity design is developed, it’s important to maintain your investment. Maison’s Paid Growth & Ads Specialist Emilia Vieni manages Smashing Good Pinatas social media, from creating custom graphics to showing up on site to shoot content for our festive friends. Over time as Smashing Good Pinatas has created more products, Maison has supplemented the initial graphics pack with ongoing visuals that end up on their website product images and in their social media posts. If you’re trying to figure out how to support your investment on an ongoing basis, check out The Strategic Brand Drafting Manual, inside is a series of checklists and campaigns to get your creative juices flowing. You can start a business, but once it’s created, it will never be finished.