Elevating Women Foundation support girls within local communities in South-Western Nigeria through skill acquisition programmes.

This case study explores the transformative journey of the Elevating Women Foundation, an NGO focused on empowering girls aged 8-25 through education and economic initiatives. Recognising the impact of investing in young girls, the foundation aims to create lasting societal change.

By fostering educational growth and economic empowerment, Elevating Women Foundation seeks to uplift females and drive broader community transformation.

We will delve into the challenges, strategic vision, and creative elements of the new brand identity, highlighting how a well-crafted brand was used to amplify the foundation’s mission and drive positive social change.

The challenge

As an organisation, EWF was looking to create a brand identity that embodies their values and their work within local communities and the society at large. It seeked a cultural symbol that easily relates to its values and mission.

Conducting research

I began by researching gender equity, revealing the crucial role women play in African society. Key findings include:

• Women represent 70% of the informal economy due to limited access to secondary education.

• Cultural biases and practices, such as early marriage and preference for boys, disadvantage the girl child.

• Many women rely on farming and local crafts for sustenance.

The Elevating Women Foundation (EWF) addresses these challenges by empowering girls aged 8-25 through education and vocational training, helping them thrive in the modern economy. The data shows boys in sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to complete secondary education than girls.

The chart clearly shows the gap EWF sought to fill, by educating and empowering females of the age 8-25, with vocational and modern skill needed to thrive in an ever changing economy.

Searching for design originality

Drawing inspiration from the phrase “Fabric of society,” I turned to the traditional South-Western Nigerian fabric, “Asoke.” Its unique threading system served as a design insight, symbolizing the interconnectedness of communities.

In South-Western Nigeria, where many of the organisation’s projects are based, Asoke is a cultural emblem that reflects unity, resilience, and shared heritage. Just as each thread strengthens the fabric, individuals contribute to the collective well-being of society, making Asoke a fitting metaphor for the interconnected fabric of the region’s culture and community.

Crafting the design solution

Women form an essential and integral thread in the fabric of society. If society must be uplifted which is the goal of the organisation, then the female child cannot be left behind. It is essential she is empowered, elevated and uplifted to help the society become a better place, one girl child at a time within local comunities.

Through the proposed design solution, we see each thread as a girl been helped, the foundation supported through empowerment programs; such as skill acquisition programs, education etc.

The colours selected for the project were based off the values the organisation wanted to communicate through the life's of these girl's in their community.

A refined colour palette and typography system, combined with a range of applications and graphic elements, unified all aspects, boldly showcasing EWF’s purpose, values, and future direction.

Social media and the website served as key platforms for showcasing the brand and its mission. We developed flexible brand systems that enabled EWF to explore a variety of layouts and colour schemes, effectively reflecting the brand’s simple yet creative approach to problem-solving.

We sought innovative ways to enhance data visualisation, utilising bright, high-contrast colours to ensure the information resonated with the audience and conveyed clear, meaningful insights, this was also utilised across the website (desktop and mobile).

The Elevating Women Foundation’s brand identity project, rooted in Yoruba culture, was well-received for its localised approach. Within the first eight months, the foundation made significant progress in advancing its mission to improve education and vocational training for girls.

During this period, the foundation secured two major grants, impacting over 3,000 girls by providing training in areas like tailoring, fashion design, beauty, graphic design, and digital marketing. These skills enhanced their earning potential and created opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Additionally, the foundation supported girls with exceptional potential to start their own businesses, fostering a cycle of empowerment and impact. Overall, the brand identity project helped drive meaningful change, showcasing the power of strategic philanthropy.

What I learnt in the process?

The Elevating Women Foundation’s brand identity, inspired by the Asoke threading, uniquely positioned the organisation and added a compelling storytelling element that resonated globally. The use of Asoke, symbolising strength and interconnectedness in South-Western culture, highlighted the foundation’s mission to empower girls and foster community support.

The Asoke threading concept emphasised the importance of community engagement, portraying each individual—mentors, donors, and volunteers—as vital threads in the empowerment process. This approach reinforced shared responsibility and collective impact.

In conclusion, the brand identity effectively captured the foundation’s culturally resonant, inclusive, and community-focused mission, weaving together empowerment and support for girls’ brighter futures.