Creative For A Cause

“At Empax, our clients are our causes. We are a nonprofit established for the sole purpose of helping other nonprofits communicate with the rest of the world.”

“We provide strategic creative services (branding, visual identities, web design and development, language, animation, photography, etc.) to ensure that our clients reach their goals — be they raising funds, recruiting volunteers, generating awareness or evoking change. We do so in a cost-effective, sustainable way, because we believe that great ideas should never get lost in bad communication. At Empax we help enable nonprofits to tell their stories internally and externally, and know that this tool helps them communicate in the most powerful way — from their own hearts.”

There are many Visual Communications professionals who believe it is vitally important to incorporate social responsibility into their business practices. These individuals are not only role models for the industry at-large but for educators and students of Visual Communications programs, as well, doing good things for the common good.

This section highlights industry role models who have integrated a socially responsible approach into their business philosophy.

Addis Creson

“Addis Creson is a new breed of brand and design consultancy that is committed to creating positive change for people, companies, and communities.”

Another Limited Rebellion

“ALR has been committed to the Triple Bottom Line (people, planet & profit) approach to business since its conception and has proven to be an effective business model for the growing Corporate Social Responsibility movement.”

Backspace

“Backspace is a design consultancy dedicated to research, development, and promotion of design in the public interest.”

Brown Partners Multicultural Marketing

“David Brown, of Brown Partners Multicultural Marketing, is the creator of The Big Pitch initiative that matches public high school students with advertising professionals in a campaign competition. One goal is to introduce students, especially those from under-represented populations, to the communications profession.”

C2LLC

“Sure, we may not be known in the in circles. We may not fill the pages of design annuals. And we may never see our names in lights. But, we do know how to save the rain forest with a waterproof book. We do know how to build a park with a postcard. And we know how to bring water to a community with a few pages of newsprint.

We are part of a design movement. We believe that ability equals responsibility. And we are not the only ones. So, we built a lab where designers like you can make a difference. We are building the tools that will build the future. And this is where you come in.”

Citizen Scholar

“Design consulting and creative services for cultural institutions, educators, artists, non-profits and social entrepreneurs.”

Daniel Pipitone Design

“Never before has my role in shaping my surroundings been as important as it is today.”

David Berman Communications

“David Berman has recently rededicated his career to leveraging his experience and credentials to forward the cause of applying Visual Communications to help repair the World.”

Design Action

“Design Action provides graphic design and Visual Communications for progressive, non-profit and social change organizations. By providing these high-quality professional services, we seek to contribute to building a broad and effective progressive movement and participate in the struggle for social justice.”

Design for Social Impact

“IMPROVING LIVES IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SELLING PRODUCTS That’s why we put our experience as graphic designers and activists to work for the public interest community. Helping our clients achieve far reaching goals, we all get closer to our vision of a better future.”

DK Holland

“This site is a resource designed to help inform and inspire those focused on the public good about the true value of branding – and design, imagery and writing as primary tools of branding – in order to increase the visibility and vitality of the robust organizations that can truly affect the health of our world.”

Empax

“Empax creates engaging communication experiences for important causes and the organizations that further them.”

Good for Business

“We are a communications company dedicated to creating cause-based messages for noble businesses dedicated to making a positive difference.”

Groundswell Collective

“We are the Groundswell Collective. Just two friends from the old neighborhood, trying to make the world better through graphic and web design.”

Hanna Design

“Hanna Design is proud to offer special expertise in ‘Green Graphics’ the conscious effort to lighten the environmental impact of design. We also offer special expertise in working with nonprofits, associations, organizations and public education campaigns.”

Idea!s

“Idea!s is a social enterprise run by a group of young creative professionals who simply want to make people aware of the great stuff people are up to nowadays. We provide multimedia communications solutions for development organizations. We construct strategically planned designs and materials that cater to the specific needs of cause-oriented organizations. By patronizing our services, our paying clients help us subsidize and support smaller organizations with their communications needs.”

K Creative

“K Creative is a Tokyo-based media, creative and education agency exploring sustainable business practices. Offering free and reduced rate services for charities and NPOs, we further aim to be ecologically sound, donate a percentage of profits to charitable causes and ultimately establish free tutoring centres for children without access to private English-language education.”

Metropolitan Group

“A social change agency that crafts strategic and creative services that empower social purpose organizations to build a just and sustainable world.”

Onbeyond

“Campaigns that change things. Onbeyond, LLC has 30 years experience helping to change corporate and institutional behavior, in public health, human rights, environmental justice or economic opportunity. Together, we can show the world something new.”

Piece Studio

“Through partnering with community organizations, activists, researchers, scientists, institutions, politicians, and artists, designers become an essential piece of the collaborative process needed to inspire and create change.”

Poper

“The concepts of social communication are created with an awareness of social and cultural realities, and of power relations in the social matrix. This is the only way for communication of social topics to be effective. The opposite usually renders it banal and counter productive.”

Public Media Center

“For three decades, Public Media Center has worked with nonprofit organizations, foundations and public service agencies worldwide to use the power of strategic, targeted communication to effect social change.”

Riggs CreateAthon

“Making the art of giving back to the community exponential. Touching lives across our state. Helping those who help others. CreateAthon, a 24-hour creative marathon that makes miracles happen each year.”

Sector Brands

“Sector Brands is a social purpose branding firm that helps organizations leverage the power of branding to become dynamic forces for social good while achieving greater impact in the industries, communities and markets they serve.”

Serve Marketing

“Serve is a nonprofit advertising and marketing firm whose mission is to be a conduit for social change and philanthropic giving, by providing a strong voice to important but underserved charitable causes.”

Sheepless Design

“Working as an independent graphic designer under the moniker Sheepless, I've had the opportunity to provide services to artists, museums, schools, non-profit organizations, and local businesses.”

SpeakOut

“SpeakOut Creative develops visual communication solutions that are distinct, high quality, socially responsible and sustainable — ensuring the best outcomes for our clients and the issues they are seeking to address and communicate”

Sproutreach

“Sproutreach is a small, full-service design studio dedicated to helping socially & environmentally responsible organizations grow and connect with their audiences more effectively through the power of strategic, creative graphic design & illustration.”

thinkpublic

“thinkpublic is a design agency dedicated to making public services better for everyone. We do not only design things for people, we design things with them.”

Thomas Matthews

“Thomas Matthews believes in two things: good design and sustainability.”

Worldstudio

“Cause-related marketing is an effective way to uplift your product, service or company. Worldstudio creates unique, custom-tailored, art-based community initiatives. These initiatives serve as cause-related marketing programs for our clients who wish to engage with their constituencies thru the power of art and design.”

Zerofee

“Zerofee is an ethical design agency — we create visual identity and design for print and digital media, but not for irresponsible brands or companies. Why Zerofee? Alongside commercial work, we constantly donate design to financially-challenged charities and good causes.”

If you are aware of role models in the Visual Communications industry who integrate social responsibility into their business philosophy, please provide their contact information on the form below.

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last update: 11.05.09