Chefs Collaborative is an incredible organization that focuses on a truly delicious topic: food and sustainability.  As described on their website: “Chefs Collaborative is the leading nonprofit network of chefs that fosters a sustainable food system through advocacy, education, and collaboration with the broader food community.”

Our work with Chefs Collaborative began nearly two years ago in May of 2008.  Chefs Collaborative hired us to design their Seafood Solutions publication (which can be downloaded from their website).  Chefs Collaborative found us through referral and we were thrilled because nonprofits, sustainability, and food are things that we are also passionate about.  This initial booklet project kicked off a relationship that often feels more like a partnership than a traditional vendor/client relationship.  Chefs Collaborative is a small organization with a large impact and has a passionate, smart, and determined core staff of four people.  We enjoy working with everyone on the Chefs Collaborative team.

Elizabeth Kennedy, Development Associate, graciously shared thoughts on Chefs Collaborative’s work with the Studio:

“Working with Julie and her team has been a true pleasure!  Julie and her team are very professional and take a lot of time to learn about their clients.  Julie really understands the mission of Chefs Collaborative and is quick to connect us with potential members, partners, and organizations.”

We ask Elizabeth how their brand has involved over time, and what our design work has played:

“Before working with J Sherman Studio, our brand was a bit dated and flat.  Our materials were also inconsistent in their look & feel.  I definitely feel that our materials relate well to one another in design and style.  They’re also more lively and speak to who we are as an organization.”

What five adjectives would Chefs Collaborative use to describe our work together?

Elizabeth shared “collaborative, friendly, engaged, constructive, and fresh.“  And we agree.

These adjectives inspired us to think of additional words that the Studio feels describes our work together (and gave us an excuse to test out using issuu to create this fun online booklet).  We would include these following words about working with Chefs Collaborative:

Chefs Collaborative has an active and engaged board of directors.  This can often be a challenge for nonprofits to make design-related decisions.  We were eager to learn if Elizabeth had  any tips for managing design feedback with a lot of key stakeholders?

“Hmmm…that can be a tricky one as everyone has their own personal taste and style.  I think the Studio has been really good about working with our feedback and not taking it personally.  It’s also been important for us to establish a clear timeline for feedback on our materials.  This continues to be a challenge at times, but I think we’re getting better at it.”

I asked Elizabeth what design projects she would work on if she didn’t have constraints like budget or time… imagine that!?

“Wow!  It’s hard to imagine not having silly constraints like budgets or time.  I’ve always thought it would be great to have more full color publications.  Food is so beautiful and it’s always challenging to capture that beauty in 2 color printing.”

Thanks to the rapidly-improving quality of digital printing I think we’ll be able to do much more of that within their budget and time line.

Now on to the fun stuff:  what is Elizabeth’s favorite heirloom fruit name? 

“An apple called the Hubbardston Nonesuch.” Read more about Chefs Collaborative’s RAFT Grow-Out initiative.

And to end this vignette on a silly note… we asked: “What is the strangest thing you have tasted while working at Chefs Collaborative?”

“Pig testicles – they tasted a bit like a fried oyster.  Chefs have a very deep love for pork.”

Elizabeth, you must truly love your job!

LIFT (formerly National Student Partnerships) is a dynamic and innovative nonprofit headquartered in Washington, DC.  As described on their website, “LIFT envisions a day when all people in our country will have the opportunity to achieve economic security and pursue their aspirations.”

We began working with LIFT last year on their 2007-2008 Impact Report design.  This project kicked off with a typical nonprofit challenge: a very limited budget combined with a deep desire for high-end professional design.  We were skeptical we could fill both needs with our standard approach but confident that we could partner with the great team at LIFT to figure this out.  Instead of offering full design we created a hybrid project with LIFT’s Communications Manager, Colleen Flynn.  The design project was broken into two phases: template design, and design training.  Frankly, we were hesitant to do this kind of design partnership with a client.  I (Julie) had flashing visions of disastrous files with broken links, tiny low-res images, and abundant drop shadows.  These fears never became reality thanks to Colleen’s willingness to learn and clearly managed expectations.  To all of our delight the report design came out beautifully and we used a similar process model to create the brand new 2008-2009 Impact Report.

Colleen, who never ceases to impress me with her intelligence, thoughtfulness, or warmth responded to questions about our work with LIFT.  The following is taken from a series of questions that we asked Colleen earlier this month:

“The decision to work with J Sherman Studio originated from the recommendation of a colleague based on Julie’s previous work with New Profit Inc., where LIFT is a portfolio organization…. When we were considering graphic designers for our annual report, we wanted a designer with a strong portfolio of work and experience creating similar projects. After years of producing lackluster publications, we wanted a designer who could create a piece of collateral that would really make LIFT’s work sing. But since we were operating on a small budget, we needed a designer who understood our financial constraints and could work within them.”

We asked Colleen if they had considered trying to get the annual report design as a donation? Her response:  “Like many other nonprofits, LIFT operates on a small budget and traditionally our outreach materials have taken a backseat to programmatic expenses. We had spent years trying to get high level design through donated services, but came to realize that the adage “You get what you pay for” often rings true. After working with J Sherman Studio on our first annual report, we received overwhelmingly positive responses to our fundraising appeals and introductions to new partners. We are now firm believers that quality design is an investment in your brand and your organization, and that investment will yield returns.”

Which naturally leads to our next question… which has partly selfish motivations as we would love to work with LIFT more, but also from a sincere curiosity about what design projects are worth the investment for nonprofit organizations.  We asked Colleen what types of design projects would they still outsource as they develop their internal capabilities?  Her response: “J Sherman Studio’s creativity, sense of color and layout, and thoughtful details are things that LIFT likely will not be able to replicate internally for several more years, so we hope to be collaborating with J Sherman Studio for future projects. As LIFT grows as an organization, we would like to expand the cache of literature we can distribute to illustrate our work, including reports, informational brochures, recruitment materials, invitations, posters, and much more.”

“Producing great graphic design is so much more rewarding when you have a great designer to work with. The quality of service that J Sherman Studio provides is phenomenal. From start to finish, Julie is clear, accessible, and flexible, making the design process a breeze. Whether she was fine-tuning graphics or offering environmentally friendly printing options, Julie worked with us to deliver a final product that exceeded our expectations and reflected our organization’s work brilliantly.  Julie is a talented businesswoman and I think she shines as both a professional and an artist. She strikes a great balance between listening to her client’s vision and taking the lead as the design expert, and LIFT benefited greatly from her guidance. Hopping on the phone with Julie is always a treat and I feel I come away from our conversations having learned something new and excited to keep working.”

As LIFT continues to grow we hope that our relationship and partnership with LIFT will continue to flourish… and Colleen’s designs skills will get even sharper, so if she ever moves back to Massachusetts she can help us out!

Kor Floral is not your ordinary florist.  Owner Alexandra Kadar recently relocated her business from Los Angeles to Boston and found J Sherman Studio through referral when getting her business cards printed at Alphagraphics.  Alexandra creates breathtaking flower arrangements that are sculptural, organic, and inventive.  Her artwork speaks for itself with designs that are all at once bold, whimsical, delicate and quirky.  Instead of using glass vases she creates a “stage” for flowers out of organic elements like chile peppers or natural bark.  Please check out her website at: www.korfloral.com.

Alexandra shared this amazing feedback with us after finishing her project.

“Julie Sherman is a rare gem in the business world. She far exceeded my expectations for the design process of my brochures. Although Julie had not worked with a florist before, I felt very comfortable signing on for the project with her. Her portfolio demonstrated a wide range, very detail oriented work (which was perhaps the most important element for me when choosing a graphic designer,) and a fantastic grasp of color, design concepts and
layouts.

Julie has an incredible ability to hear her client’s vision, and transform it into something extraordinary, something that speaks to a client’s customers. Her work is refined, and she was able to create a brochure for me that would appeal to the luxury demographic I service. The pricing of J Sherman studio is not the lowest available on the market, however, the service, attention and flawless final product make every penny worthwhile. The graphic design that creates your business literature is the face of your company. It reflects your image, professionalism, and creativity to your customers. Is it worth it to pay mid-level prices, only to get mediocre results? The value in having your business stand out and shine brilliantly goes without saying.

Julie is without a doubt, a pleasure to work with, and I can’t say enough good things about J Sherman studios. I look forward to the next time I will need her services, and although I have only completed one project with J Sherman Studio, I consider them my exclusive graphic designers.”

Thank you Alexandra!  We treasure creative partnerships with thoughtful and talented clients.  This first project with Kor Floral is exactly the type of work and type of relationship we focus on building here.