Support, Courage, Hope: Kargo Shapes Swiss Aid Organizations
More than 40 Swiss aid organizations are joining forces for the first time. The Bern-based agency KARGO developed the brand, strategy, and campaign for this historic NGO alliance—a first in the Swiss aid sector.
For the first time, more than 40 Swiss aid organizations have joined forces to raise their profile nationwide under the umbrella organization «Die Schweizer Hilfswerke.» The Bern-based agency KARGO Kommunikation developed the strategic framework, the brand, and the campaign for this alliance—an initiative that is unprecedented in the history of Swiss humanitarian aid.
Diminishing Visibility in Difficult Times
International cooperation is under pressure: budgets are being cut, and the public’s awareness of the importance of international cooperation is waning. At the same time, the aid organizations that work every day to maintain stability in an increasingly fragile world are largely out of the public eye—even though their work is more urgent than ever before.
Instead of continuing to communicate individually, the participating aid organizations decided to prioritize collective visibility. The fact that organizations with such diverse profiles, cultures, and self-interests have agreed on a common brand and a common message is a first in the Swiss NGO landscape.
Strategy, Not Rhetoric of Concern
Working closely with the participating organizations, KARGO developed the strategic foundation of the campaign: narrative, positioning, core message, and tone. The guiding principle was: no rhetoric of victimhood and no alarmism, but rather a sense of purpose, confidence, and a sense of connection. In a world that can seem unstable, hopeless, and discouraging, the campaign aims to show that there are forces working to counteract this.
This gave rise to three campaign values: resilience, courage, and hope. These three values, three themes, and a visual language that is characteristically clear for KARGO form the backbone of the communication strategy. Dramatic press photographs from crisis regions are overlaid with bold poster type; the contrast between image and text conveys the message without the need for explanation.
"Logoflut" as a substantive argument used by Swiss aid organizations
One design detail deserves special attention: the sea of logos at the bottom of the poster—usually every graphic designer’s bane—becomes a central message. Solidarity that extends beyond one’s own boundaries is not a footnote, but part of the campaign’s message itself.
The campaign will run from 2026 to 2029 across billboards, digital platforms, and with a specially produced explanatory video that serves as the hero element of the landing page https://swiss-ngo.ch serves.
For more information about KARGO Kommunikation's work, visit https://kargo.ch.
Responsible on the customer side: Hanspeter Bigler (HEKS, Deputy Director and Head of Communications and Mobilization), Matthias Herfeldt (Helvetas, Head of Communications), Benjamin Gross (Solidar Suisse, Head of Marketing & Communications). Contact at KARGO Kommunikation: Christoph Balsiger (Creative Director and Owner), Roman Sterchi (Consulting and Project Management), Onaquel Herbas (Illustration), Jorge Martinez (Graphic and Motion Design).
