The Sníchim Foundation is a non-profit foundation that is revitalizing the language of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) People.
Prior to engaging our services, the company was called KAS, a language, culture, and arts-focused Indigenous company. The creation of the Sníchim Foundation was brought about to take the work that KAS had started but purely focus on revitalizing their language.
It was such a rewarding project as we were not ‘just’ creating a brand strategy and visual identity, but an opportunity to improve the quality of life for the Squamish People (connection to ancestry, community, the land, culture, identity, health, forgiveness, inspiration, longevity, knowledge and understanding).
The discovery meeting was with 15 staff members, discussing their culture, history, language loss, and their hopes and the importance of revitalizing their spoken language not just for today, but for generations to come.
From this, we were able to develop the following:
WHAT
We are a non-profit foundation, revitalizing the language of the Squamish people.
HOW
We provide immersion language opportunities for adult learners, creating an abundance of fluent Squamish language speakers at an accelerated rate.
WHY
We are committed to carrying on the work of our ancestors and being prosperous, improving the quality of life for Squamish language speakers.
We were able to condense the company’s essence (a few words describing its fundamental nature) to: Prosperity for our people. We asked, “When we look back in 100 years, what difference has language revitalization made? What have we built? What have we healed? What were the immediate benefits and what positive changes have we bestowed on future generations?”
We created their vision, “We imagine a future where the Squamish language is thriving, being used by our people of all ages, daily. We are committed to carrying on the work of our ancestors and being prosperous, improving the quality of life for Squamish language speakers.”
We also created their mission, “We are a non-profit foundation, revitalizing the language
of the Squamish people. We provide immersion language opportunities for adult learners, creating an abundance of fluent Squamish language speakers at an accelerated rate.”
As the name of the organization doesn’t tell you what they do, we decided to use a descriptive statement for the tagline, “Revitalizing the Skwxwú7mesh language.”
After the brand strategy, we developed their visual identity (all the elements that visually identify the company), including their logo (and usage rules), colour pallet, typography, imagery style, and collateral examples of a brochure, website, signage, business card, to show how all the different elements of the new brand work together as a cohesive design platform.
Since then, the company has been building its brand reputation by offering its certificate and diploma programs and reaching out to sponsorship opportunities and social media.
Twelve reasons you may need to rebrand.
Inconsistency is one reason a company may need to rebrand.
Which one of these twelve reasons resonates with your company?
INCONSISTENT
Your brand has become overly complicated or spread too thin.
PANDEMIC
Business took a hit? Want to fast-track your recovery?
OUTDATED
You’re embarrassed to hand out your marketing materials.
EXPANSION
You’re trying to connect with a new audience.
EMPLOYEES
You’re not attracting top talent due to your image.
BAD PRESS
You need to disassociate your brand from a negative image.
COMPETITION
You’re failing to differentiate yourself from the competition.
NAME CHANGE
Your company name no longer reflects your vision.
LACKING PROFIT
Not seeing the profits or financial rewards you desire?
MERGER
You’re undergoing a merger or acquisition.
NEW DIRECTION
Your business model or strategy has changed.
RAPID GROWTH
Brand and marketing materials been left behind?
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Thrive was started to bring the knowledge and experience of a Vancouver agency to make a difference for the North and beyond. We are located in Prince George, strategically positioned to serve both the North and South.
If you would like to hire our services or discuss in detail the difference we can make for your business, please drop us a line.
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