NEMAA’s Creative Partner — An arts organization should feel artful

Client: Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association

Deliverables: New Brand, Stories, Print, Newsletters, Social

Capabilities: Design, Writing, Communications Planning 

 

Even though NEMAA serves 1,000 artist members annually and hosts some of the most celebrated art gatherings in the U.S. (like Art-A-Whirl), its branding, personality, and creative presence didn’t ooze an artist’s sensibility. And as a small organization, NEMAA didn’t need just new branding, they needed an ongoing creative partner that could do everything.

And we mean everything.

branding

Solution #1: A vibrant and smart brand that will act as an evolving frame to showcase NEMAA’s mission and the artists behind it.

art direction 

Solution #2: Pollen worked as creative and strategy directors with NEMAA member artists Jared Tuttle and Bobby Rogers to produce an interlocking brand system with elements from logos, animation, icons, to photography.

Dameun Strange, NEMAA:

 “Pollen’s heart for storytelling is unmatched. The attention given to the discovery phase of our project with them yielded results that we could not even have imagined at the start of our partnership. These results helped our stakeholders know that we truly value them and gave us a future-forward yet classic, clean new identity. And when one looks at that ‘special something’ that made it all come together, it all goes back to Pollen.”

 

storytelling

Solution #3: Intimate, narrative storytelling to showcase the passion inside the artists that make up the NEMAA community.

ASK US ABOUT: How we overhauled an outdated email newsletter system by setting up an elevated design, but templated, digital e-newsletter that feels more like a magazine experience with gorgeous photography and feature worthy storytelling.

Pollen Studio is an amplifier for our narrative change model. Through our unique, intentional creative process, we pair our storytelling and design expertise with our partners’ work for positive social change — allowing each organization to deepen their impact. These projects and partnerships are critical to Pollen's mission, nurturing an ecosystem of narrative change that can catalyze transformation at individual, collective, and systemic levels.

On this project: Creative Director: Meghan Murphy; Client Relations: Jamie Millard; Writer: Morgan Mercer; Designer: Sara Fowler; Branding Design: Jared Tuttle; Photography: Bobby Rogers.