The Power of Paper Prototyping for Nonprofit Design
In the swiftly evolving world of nonprofit design, where digital trends shift almost as quickly as our political landscape, taking a step back to the basics can be a game-changer.
During my years directing the creative team at the Southern Poverty Law Center, I learned to rely on one simple approach to explore new design frontiers while staying true to our brand: paper prototyping. Why? Because laying the groundwork on paper before diving into the digital realm empowered us to work out the creative kinks before we started tinkering with HTML, preserving our sanity and our limited resources.
Sketching for Clarity: Strategic Design for Nonprofits
Nonprofit organizations must rise to the challenge of conveying complex narratives and missions through their websites, social media, email campaigns, and publications. Strategic design is not just about aesthetics; it's about creating an intuitive and compelling user experience. This is where paper prototyping shines.
1. Cost-Effective Exploration
Paper prototyping is a cost-effective way to explore design possibilities in a field where every dollar counts. It allows you to quickly sketch and iterate without investing in coding (or even opening InDesign if your eyes need a rest), ensuring that your vision supports your organization's goals and establishing an effective path forward for the cost of a piece of paper and an hour or two of your time.
2. Rapid Iteration
Time is of the essence when campaign parameters shift or the news cycle lands a story in your lap that requires unexpected content updates. Paper prototyping allows you to tweak layouts, test different user journeys, and gather feedback in real time. Once you've honed the design on paper, your transition to digital becomes smoother. You’ll also feel more confident that your website (or whatever you’re working on) is going to be effective before committing hours to updates that might end up being scrapped. (No more managers derailing projects you thought were 75 percent done!)
3. Enhanced Collaboration
The design realm can feel a bit mysterious and even inaccessible to folks in your organization who don’t have the Adobe Suite (and wouldn’t know what to do with it if they did). Paper prototypes are tangible, making them ideal for collaborative sessions across areas of expertise. This allows you to involve your team in the creative process, encouraging feedback and establishing buy-in before transitioning to the web or print.
How to Build a Solid Foundation: Translating Paper to Pixels
Start simple. Some of my favorite designs and layouts began with sketches in my daily planner.
If you can, transition to a large easel pad or roll of butcher paper on a conference table. This allows for easier collaboration and lets you see whether the composition holds up at a larger scale.
Don’t be too precious about your lines. This isn’t an architectural drawing; it’s a sketch. Messy boxes for placement can become precise squares later in the process.
If you have content, add some reference text so it’s clear what will live where and to give you a sense of whether you’ve allowed enough space. Use block letters to slug in headlines and horizontal lines to mimic body copy.
If you’re working with a team, give them different colored Post-it notes and ask them to annotate the sketch so the prototype itself doesn’t get covered with writing.
Once you’re comfortable with the layout (or the site map or impact report or . . .), you will likely want to take a pass in InDesign to finesse the composition, adjust sizes, and double-check your proportions relative to the publication platform.
After rolling through the butcher paper a few times, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of the user experience and design elements that resonate with your team and—most importantly—your audience.
Russell Estes is the co-founder, principal, and creative director for Square Lightning. Artwork by Cierra Brinson.
Paper prototyping allows you to craft stories more confidently and turn ideas into powerful digital experiences. If you’re a nonprofit professional looking to bring your big idea to life, but you’re not sure where to begin, contact us for a consultation, and let's put pen to paper together.