Navigating the world of communications and design
Senior-level communications strategy, storytelling, and creative direction for important projects your internal team cannot absorb alone.
Garrard Powell Solutions helps nonprofit organizations and other mission-driven institutions navigate complex communications and design challenges. We combine communications strategy, storytelling, and creative direction to clarify ideas, strengthen visibility, and produce meaningful work aligned with each organization’s mission, values, and resources. Based in California’s Coachella Valley, we work with organizations across the United States and internationally.
Our Expertise
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Even the strongest message loses force without a coherent brand, a clear visual identity, and thoughtful design. We help organizations, foundations, and communities strengthen their digital presence, launch new initiatives, and bring their communications to life.
Why us? We treat a brand as an expression of an organization’s mission, culture, and ambitions, not a cosmetic overlay. We combine an informed outside perspective with the research and collaboration needed to understand what makes the organization distinct.
What we deliver. Brand research, positioning, visual identities, brand guidelines, website strategy and design, publication systems, document templates, and adaptable digital assets. Every element is designed to work together, evolve with the organization, and clearly communicate its mission.
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Effective communication begins with knowing what you need to say, who is hearing it, and who still needs to hear it. We build from there with audience analysis, a messaging framework, an integrated strategy, and the creative assets needed to put it into action.
Why us? We build for the budget, calendar, and team you actually have. Our experience within donor-funded and mission-driven organizations allows us to develop strategies that are ambitious, practical, and sustainable.
What we deliver. A messaging framework your team can use consistently, a campaign sequence that fits your calendar and capacity, finished creative assets rather than a deck describing them, and a practical framework for measuring performance.
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We believe stories change the world. GPS creates compelling written, visual, and multimedia content that communicates impact, inspires donors, and engages patients. Services include copywriting, video scripts, blogs, impact reports, case studies, and audience testimonials.
Unique Value: Our combined experience in journalism, editing, communications strategy, and creative direction allows GPS to develop stories that are editorially rigorous, visually compelling, and appropriate for diverse stakeholders.
What It Delivers: Stronger emotional connections, higher engagement rates, and powerful narratives that mobilize communities.
Signature engagement
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Impact and annual reports are more than an organizational requirement. They are among the few communications created for your board, funders, partners, and wider community at the same time. They offer an important opportunity to demonstrate what your organization has accomplished and why it matters. Too often, they are assembled on short notice. We can either edit and design what you have or write it from scratch. From report strategy and research to stakeholder interviews and the writing, editing, data storytelling, design, and production, we take you all the way from concept to launch.
Why us? We have written and designed reports for organizations ranging from four-person nonprofits to institutions with thousands of employees. We research and verify the content, clarify the story, and ensure every element aligns with the organization’s brand.
What we deliver. A report that stands up to scrutiny and is designed to be read, not merely filed. We also extract pull quotes, case studies, charts, and other material your team can use throughout the year.
Why Partner with GPS?
Focused solutions for important communications needs.
We are writers, editors, designers, brand strategists, and communications specialists who have spent decades inside many of the organizations we now serve. GPS brings brand strategy, strategic communications, editorial storytelling, design, and creative direction together under one senior-led partnership. Clients work directly with the founders, supported by trusted specialists selected for the needs of each assignment. GPS remains accountable from the first brief through final delivery.
Case Studies
GPS Faces
Murray Garrard, Co-Founder
Murray is a journalist, editor, and communications strategist with more than twenty years of experience spanning journalism, non-profit communications, and government public affairs.
Joe Powell, Co-Founder
Joe is a creative director and brand strategist with more than twenty-five years of experience building brands, leading publications, and directing integrated communications across the humanitarian, corporate, healthcare, and consumer sectors.