In honour of Madiba’s life and legacy, and his commitment to changing the world for the better, Over the Rainbow, a social enterprise that offers entrepreneurs guidance, support and connections, has once again launched their annual 67 Logos Designathon, this year in partnership with SimplyBiz, powered by Nedbank.
First impressions are vital for business success. It only takes people an average of 3 seconds to form an impression of a brand, and 5-7 impressions for consumers to recognise a company logo. Therefore the call is for both 67 small businesses and 67 designers to come together in celebration of Mandela Day on 18 July.
“Our passion is to help businesses succeed, and through 67 Logos we are not only giving businesses the chance to stand out with a professionally designed logo, we are also giving the designer a platform to showcase their creativity and talent to create new business opportunities for them. Why a logo? Because it transcends language barriers, and quickly elevates the business idea and positioning. It gives a business an identity, a purpose, and a chance to stand out and ultimately defines one’s brand identity,” says Lesley Waterkeyn, brainchild behind the initiative, Founder and Executive Director at Over The Rainbow.
Over the Rainbow is calling upon both small businesses, and designers who are willing to volunteer their time, to enter. Designers will be selected and matched with small businesses based on their passions, experiences and profiles. Once they have applied, designers will receive a brief via email and will then liaise directly with their matched businesses so that they can start working on the logos in their own time. All the logos will have to be submitted by 17h00 on Wednesday, 17 July 2024.
Based on previous years, 86% of the 250 businesses that have been part of this amazing initiative are still using the logos that were designed for them. 91% are still in business, 72% had an increase in revenue for the past financial year, and 66% have employed staff and have grown their team.
SMEs that wish to enter and become part of this year’s 67 Logos Designathon, need only create a profile on Nedbank’s free business development platform — SimplyBiz — even if they are not Nedbank clients. Just follow the link here https://bit.ly/3xrH9YC. Entries close on the 7 July 2024.
In addition to the logos and exposure that businesses will receive in being a part of the 67 Logos Designathon, 10 competition participants will also have access to a 6-month mentorship programme valued at R75 000.00. All participants will also have access to the SimplyBiz platform that offers an array of practical tools, guides and competitions to boost small business owners, including the SimplyBiz Change Gear toolkit and Powershot Cafés to ensure they are supported with mentorship and networking opportunities along their business journey.
“One of many challenges that inhibit the growth and sustainability of small businesses is access to markets and opportunities that can scale their businesses. The 67 Logos initiative addresses this challenge by removing the complexity and barriers to entry by fostering relationships between prospective clients and designers, which would otherwise be difficult to forge under normal circumstances. As Nedbank, we are encouraged that this initiative is much more than an opportunity to be empowered financially. It is also a platform for participants to form meaningful relationships with businesses that have the potential to be long-term clients in the long run,” says Alan Shannon, Executive: Client Engagement, Small Business Services and Private Clients at Nedbank.
“The 67 Logos Designathon will allow us to positively impact and boost the next 134 entrepreneurs, and we hope that through their rebranding, this creates more awareness of the businesses and most importantly leads to sales, growth, and expansion for the businesses. Supporting small businesses is after all part of our ongoing commitment to offer Banking & Beyond® solutions that are real and relevant for entrepreneurs at all life stages,” concludes Shannon.
