Refugee Empowerment International

Helping a global charity with a major rebrand

Refugee Empowerment International (REI) is a not-for-profit organization that helps destitute victims of war and conflict without wasting resources on politics or superfluous third parties, with the money it receives going directly to intended recipients.

In January 2011, REI approached Custom Media to help with its branding and marketing efforts as they needed a partner that not only supported their needs, but also cares.

Our pro bono efforts are tiny compared to those of the many volunteers and leaders in this field, but by rebranding, designing, and editing REI’s bilingual marketing collateral—advertisements, brochures, flyers, posters, annual reports, and auction catalogs for key fundraisers—we hope our bit helps.

Solid Efforts

Custom Media continues to work on REI’s marketing and communications material, including adverts, event flyers, posters, brochures, and auction catalogs.

We hope the thought-provoking and attention-grabbing material brings to the fore the plight of refugees displaced by war and conflict.

The Annual Report

The organization’s annual report is an important bilingual publication that informs supporters, volunteers, and sponsors of their work during the year. The report also shows projects supported and an audited transparent record of its financial activity.

Each year, Custom Media refreshes the visual concept and designs, edits and proofreads this two-color branded publication to give it a unique look and feel.

Transforming the Brand

Until the fall of 2020, REI was called Refugees International Japan (RIJ). The name change was inspired by the organization’s mission to make a difference in the lives of refugees and displaced peoples, as well to highlight its global focus. We had helped the organization rebrand before, but this was a much more significant change.

We held a board meeting last week and the directors all commented how efficiently the renaming and rebranding was done for Refugee Empowerment International. They specifically asked me to thank you all at Custom Media. Your team are just great—very supportive and very professional. An extra was the interview on GoConnect. We have received a few volunteer inquiries through GoConnect as well. Thank you for performing such a helpful service.

Jane Best OBE
Executive Director
Refugee Empowerment International

Along with their new name, we worked with REI to create a logo that reflected their new identity. After exploring a number of design options, we decided to keep the hand and person icons that were in their previous logo, but made them more expressive and energetic.

To help them with their increasing activity on social media, we created a profile icon based on the logo that could be used with the organization’s social media accounts. We also chose English and Japanese fonts that matched the brand, which allows REI to easily create SNS images in-house.

We also assisted REI with the technicalities of moving their website to a new domain, implementing an improved back end that will allow them to more easily make updates, and adding their new branding to the site.

Getting the Word Out

To help inform a wider audience about REI’s new name and the meaning behind it, we published an article about the organization on GoConnect. The article, which featured quotes from REI’s Executive Director Jane Best OBE, also explored the ways in which REI has been responding to the upheaval brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and shared ways that readers can support the organization. We included the story in our weekly GoConnect newsletter, which reaches an audience of more than 8,000. In addition, REI’s listing of volunteer positions on GoConnect has drawn a number of inquiries.

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