United Way’s work is measured in real community outcomes — which means the design supporting it has to earn trust, not just attention. Across multiple regional initiatives for the tri-county Charleston area, the goal stayed the same: balance emotional resonance with credible data, so every piece felt both human and honest.

For Success by 6, the early childhood intervention program, that meant a book that spoke directly to parents’ practical concerns, paired with a poster campaign built around playful twists on fairy tales — familiar, accessible, and grounded in real outcomes rather than just inspiration.

For the Leadership Initiative, the challenge flipped: a high-end brochure featuring the Lowcountry’s top philanthropic contributors, built to validate giving to United Way as a mark of leadership. Typography, layout, and photography worked together — embossing and foil stamp added the weight the audience expected — which positioned the program with real confidence.

The Annual Report was built around the concept “The Power of U,” and translated United Way’s national theme into something that was genuinely local. Individual contribution was shown as part of collective impact, with clarity and transparency doing the heavy lifting in how the data was presented.

Every piece, from the fairy-tale posters to the annual report, had to hold the same tension: make the case for giving without ever looking crass, and make the impact visible without dulling the mission behind it. The result: the Annual Report was ranked one of the top 3 United Way annual reports in the country — recognition that reflected both strong concept development and disciplined execution, and proof that data and heart can share the same page.