Greenville Literacy Association
Our team gives Greenville’s most-loved book event – The Really Big, Really Good, Really Cheap Book Sale – a much-needed brand design upgrade, plus a personalized marketing campaign to connect with readers of all ages (especially the screen-obsessed Gen Zs!). Read on for the full story with a storybook ending.
There are book sales and then there are book sales. For Greenville over the past 20 years, that has always meant one iconic, annual event: The Really Big, Really Good, Really Cheap Book Sale. But while the book sale has typically drawn and delighted book lovers of all ages, helping raise crucial funds for its parent non-profit Greenville Literacy Association (GLA), additional needs are only increasing while awareness is not.
Both the GLA and the book sale faced three clear opportunities that would determine their success in the future:
We know from the top that locals and new Greenvillians alike weren’t aware of the impact their book purchases were making in the local community thanks to GLA. And the brand’s outdated look wasn’t connecting with young and new audiences either. These realities jeopardized the future success of both GLA as a non-profit and the book sale as an annual event.
To create community awareness and engagement, keep the funding flowing, and of course continue to nurture a love for books in all generations, we got to work on modernizing the brand, personalizing its appeal, and spreading news of GLA’s impact on local literacy and employment.
Throughout our research, we created a list of insights about readers across a spectrum of ages and interests. Then eventually, we latched onto one that we felt applied to everyone, equally: Our bookshelves, in so many ways, are not only reflections of what we like but of who we are at our core.
We recognized one additional layer of psychology that could also make bookworms even more likely to engage with and share the campaign. Communicating status/identity is a huge variable in why we choose to do what we do, maybe the most powerful. We wanted to make sure this campaign tapped that universal human instinct for all ages. Self-expression layered with status.
Next, we moved on to creative translation of our insights.
Similar to the concept, “You are what you eat,” we arrived at: “You are who you read.”
“You Are Who You Read” became the cornerstone of our campaign messaging, and art direction – an essential reminder that we become (and repeat) the thoughts, ideas, attitudes – and yes, even authors – that we fill our heads with.
Conveniently for us, the concept was just as easily applied to videos and CDs being sold at the book sale too, transitioning from “You Are Who You Read” to “You Are What You Watch” and “You Are What You Listen To,” etc. Every headline was also accompanied with additional CTAs like “Read widely. Read wisely. Read the best.” as a way to encourage all readers to choose high-quality content to become the best versions of themselves.
Next, we thought about how to bring “You Are Who You Read” to life visually. We naturally began thinking about where our personal identities and those of our favorite writers begin and end. How to translate that led us into colorful and graphical territory, resulting in a moodboard of vibrant styles and approaches.
“I think we believed in the power of ‘You are who you read’ immediately, but also the potential for playfulness. There’s something so personal and specific about the answers. You visualize your favorite authors. You know exactly how they’ve influenced you. And you understand the importance of that, too…”
While cracking the art direction of the marketing campaign, we worked on how to modernize The Really Big, Really Good, Really Cheap Book Sale logo. The most important objective was to create a stronger connection between the book sale and GLA. The color palette needed a refresh, too – something to make it appear more youthful and eye-catching.
For the logo redesign, we accomplished several objectives: 1) We combined the GLA book symbol + the wordmark + the book sale title to create a single entity (leading with GLA to emphasize its connection to the book sale); 2) To ensure symmetry, we removed the “The” from the original book sale title and kept the essential “Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale”; 3) We increased the book sale’s legibility by replacing its elaborate script font with a charming san serif with classic warmth and a dash of whimsy for a bit of personality, while still being surprisingly readable, versatile, and complimentary of the GLA logo;; and 4) We introduced a modern green to attract a broader, and particularly younger, audience.
“Because we had so much inspiration to work with, the design process felt completely intuitive. We wanted to create equilibrium between the classic touch of physical books and the modern audience we’re catering to, and I think we achieved that.”
Ready to see the results?
When the big weekend – and more than 12,000 readers – arrived, our brand updates were ready and on full display.
To make the campaign creative GLA’s own, we gave it a hand-drawn look incorporating real readers, from all demographics, with iconic symbols attached to famous writers. Think: Gabriel García Márquez and little yellow butterflies; Joan Didion and her iconic bob and Chanel sunglasses; Jane Austen and her 18th-century fashion. We switched it up by using symbols and imagery associated with some of the authors’ famous stories, too, inviting all bookworms to guess their associations, while also imagining which would apply to them personally.
Besides marketing materials on the ground at the big weekend-long event, we released billboards, magazine ads, mass emails, and digital ads leading up to the event, inviting readers from all over town (and further!) to come fill their tote bags with as many books as they could carry. We also created uniforms for staff and volunteers, plus a number of swag items, including buttons, stickers, bookmarks, posters, shirts, and table tent cards, as well as interactive event ideas. And we hosted their kick-off party at our office to celebrate with their team and board.
We were so thrilled to play a role in the success – and evolution – of this year’s Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale, and of course contribute in any way to the mission of the Greenville Literacy Association.
If you’d like to volunteer for next year’s book sale, or support the Greenville Literacy Association’s work in the local community, go to https://www.greenvilleliteracy.org/
“Our experience with FUEL and the FUEL for Good grant was amazing from beginning to end. … The new campaign for our annual fundraising event also contributed to us surpassing our fundraising goals.”
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