SCHMIDT COMMUNITY FUND — 2023
Context: Schmidt Family of Companies founded the non-profit organization, Schmidt Community Fund, which is dedicated to the philosophy of investing in local youth, including programs and initiatives in the communities we serve. For the past two years, the firm has used a digital newsletter that details what projects the non-profit has funded in the past month. Additionally, it tracked the progress of donations coming in to fund future projects. However, given its lackluster design, the newsletter failed to gain traction. In an effort to help the newsletter reach its full potential, the manager behind the Schmidt Community Fund requested I take over, redesign and revamp the newsletter.
Process: Understanding that this newsletter would be the first consistent email received across the firm, I knew that it needed to be redesigned to seem more trustworthy, and demonstrate the feeling of community. I also understood that this newsletter would be the communication sent to potential investors, so it also had to be approachable and inviting. Using the same information previously presented, I created multiple concepts and layouts to gauge which presentation would best showcase the work done by the organization.
Solution: Using imagery, I was able to showcase the people in our community, which was an important step in creating an approachable and attractive newsletter. To improve clarity, I paired a professional serif with an easy-to-read sans serif. Since taking over the creation of the monthly newsletter 12 months ago, it has gained more consistent open and click-through rates.
