TGL Trusted: Why Branding Is More Than Just a Logo (With Rocketkoi)
Welcome back to TGL Trusted, our monthly series where we sit down with experts we trust to bring you deeper insights into the digital marketing topics that matter most. Last month, we explored how op-eds can cut through misinformation and elevate your nonprofit’s voice with Margot Friedman from Dupont Circle Communications.
Whether you’re building a brand from scratch, refreshing one that’s a little outdated, or simply trying to maintain consistency, great branding is about much more than fonts and color palettes. It’s about clarity, connection, and trust.
To help break it down, we teamed up with creative studio Rocketkoi who has spent over a decade helping mission-driven organizations turn big ideas into bold, meaningful visuals.
Why Branding Is Emotional (And That’s Okay)
“You’re going to look at your brand more than anyone else. Eventually, even the word ‘why’ can start to look wrong if you keep staring at it.”
Here’s a truth we don’t talk about enough: branding is personal. It’s emotional. And that’s not a problem; it’s actually the point.
Rocketkoi explains that branding isn’t just about colors, logos, or fonts; it sets the tone of what your audience can expect from your organization. Your brand helps carry your mission, your values, and your story — which means it is something inherently emotional.
But it’s not only your audience that’s emotionally affected by how you brand. Just as important as how your branding comes across to your audience is how it resonates with the people inside your organization: from the marketing team curating your branding assets to the staff across every department, remember that each person who is part of your organization has a personal connection to its brand. And creating that connection starts from the inside out. Since your team interacts with the brand more than anyone else, developing branding elements that resonate with and represent them is important to consider, too. Make sure you set aside time to get insights from your team. You never know what you might uncover.
To be able to make sound decisions during the branding process, Rocketkoi emphasizes that it is essential to create a shared understanding across your team about each branding project, from why you’ve taken it on to how it aligns with your organization’s goals. By grounding the project in goals, needs, and your mission, emotional decisions like color selection become less daunting … and even exciting.
“My favorite meeting moment is the end of the project kickoff where everybody suddenly realizes ‘oh we can do this.”
Naturally, when you work so closely with your own brand story and assets, it’s common to second-guess choices, question details, or even feel overwhelmed. This emotional investment means you care deeply about how your organization is perceived, which is a sign of commitment, not a setback. It also means that branding can create meaningful connections when it authentically reflects your story and community.
Understanding that emotional rollercoaster can help teams navigate branding projects more confidently, and keep their eye on the big picture.
Adjusting The Reflective Democracy Campaign’s existing colors to have more vibrancy and accessible contrast gave them a unique palette to work with across all collateral and material. We further evolved the logo using Fort Foundry’s Industry to echo not only the past RDC logo, but also the data visualization work of W.E.B DuBois.
Branding That Works Is Branding That Connects
“If you say something’s ‘not blue enough,’ we can’t work with that. But if you say, ‘This won’t speak to our community,’ we can.”
At TGL, we encourage our clients to ask: What should our audience feel when they land on our site? When they see our report, case study, or project brief? When they read our email header or scroll our social media accounts? Having that emotional clarity makes every design decision easier.
At its core, branding is about communicating clearly. That means aligning visuals with values and making sure your audience recognizes themselves in the story you're telling.
A common mistake we see? Focusing too much on how something looks and not enough on what it’s saying. Rocketkoi’s advice: You don’t need to speak “designer” to give good feedback. Just stay focused on your mission and your audience.
What to Know Before You Start a Branding Project
“Once you’ve picked a partner and signed the contract, trust that they’ll get you there. And if it’s not working, that’s okay. End the relationship and take what you’ve learned to the next one.”
Branding isn’t just a creative process; it’s a collaborative one. Here are a few things to keep in mind before diving in:
Pick your partner wisely, and trust them. The right creative team will guide you through the process and ask the right questions.
Honest feedback early on is key. Don’t be afraid to say what’s not working.
Make sure you have time to engage. Branding takes ongoing collaboration, not just a one-time approval.
Don’t ghost your designers. If things need to pause, just communicate. It happens!
“We make the process fun.”
- Sarah Meskin, Rocketkoi
What’s Trending in Graphic Design (and What’s Not)
“Human-crafted illustration lets you show what really matters. It allows people to feel seen. Cheap stock photos are just someone smiling and holding hands. They’re noise.”
We asked Rocketkoi what design shifts they’re seeing in the nonprofit world.
Generic stock photos are out: They’re overused, and often don’t reflect real people or communities. Instead, Rocketkoi’s approach favors human-crafted illustration, ensuring a project has a budget for curated photography, and close collaboration. Creating authentic visuals that truly capture your mission and community, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all stock images, shows your audiences that there are people working behind the scenes to achieve important things.
Illustration is back: Organizations want more control over representation, diverse bodies, identities, and lived experiences that reflect their values. Unlike stock photos, illustration lets nonprofits capture authentic stories and emotions, creating visuals that make people feel seen and understood. As Rocketkoi explains, illustration allows for a tailored, collaborative process where clients’ unique perspectives and biases are embraced and translated into meaningful design — bringing your brand’s personality and mission to life in a way that’s both genuine and inclusive. While budgets may not allow for bespoke illustration, sets created by illustrators and available for purchase often allow for customization that can meet your needs without having to fall back on AI sources.
At TGL, we’re seeing this shift, too, toward intentional, personality-driven design that reinforces credibility and establishes an emotional connection between your audience and your brand.
The transformation of the Reading Rockets logo. The previous logo only worked horizontally and had numerous competing elements, but it felt dynamic and engaging. We achieved the simplification we sought by focusing only on the reading character.
Why the TGL + Rocketkoi Creative Partnership Works
“Working with The Good Lemon is the perfect example of letting each partner do what they do best. When we show up together, the client’s like — ‘my life is easy.”
We’ve known and collaborated with Rocketkoi for over a decade. While we haven’t worked side-by-side on every project, the strength of our partnership comes from a deep, ongoing dialogue behind the scenes that shapes how we approach client work.
Our relationship isn’t just about handing off tasks; it’s a continuous exchange of ideas, feedback, and strategy, a true creative collaboration that feels like a mini mastermind group. This dynamic means we’re always learning from each other and elevating the quality of work for all our clients.
Our complementary expertise means that when we partner on branding, design, and content, we’re setting clients up to succeed by providing clarity, cohesion, and confidence — all while making the process smoother and more enjoyable.
Even when we’re not on the same project, we’re in regular conversation, sharing insights and pushing each other to innovate. That ongoing collaboration helps us deliver results that are more thoughtful, strategic, and aligned with our clients’ missions.
The evolution of Devil Tree Films’ core brand icon. By working closely with Devil Tree Films through an actionable feedback process, we found the right balance between professional and care-free.
Your Brand Is One of Your Strongest Assets
Branding is more than a logo. It’s your voice, your tone, your presence, and your promise — all rolled into one.
It’s what makes your organization recognizable, trustworthy, and memorable. And when done well, branding becomes a strategic asset, not just a visual one.
So if you're preparing for a refresh or thinking about a creative partner, remember: while your brand should look good, more importantly, it should feel right.
Up next in our TGL Trusted series: we're teaming up with Goodier Creative to share expert tips on working with a video agency, from how to get videos that shine on social media and beyond to what questions to ask, what to request, and what pitfalls to watch out for.