Chicago with your baby blue and twinkling stars – this is a cutie pie design.

Can you see the stars square dancing in Tennessee? Nice use of a blue stripe.

Bold stripes with an inviting bird makes me want to visit Uganda.

Butt kicking machine for a symbol – I’ll not invade this island.

Passion. Love of Nature. Oh Canada you are huggable.

I can not think of any better simple use of stripes that create such energy.

Stars over the Potomac and Anacostia – brilliant.

Can addressing gender issues in the marketplace improve the programs that USAID is implementing overseas? Can these countries gain economic growth and lasting poverty reduction through understanding these gender inequalities as obstacles? I do not want to spoil the reading of thousands of hard worked research but… yes is the answer to both.

December saw the end to years of research for the folks working on the “Greater Access to Trade Expansion (GATE)” project under the Women in Development IQC funded by USAID’s Office of Women in Development. openbox9 was brought in the autumn of 08 to assist in the design of reports, interactive CDs, posters, folders, a major website and the crown jewel — a 150 page handbook filled with charts, examples and diagrams.

Throughout all the pieces, openbox9 maintained a consistent brand for the GATE project while also staying within the brand of USAID. Developing this “sub-brand” for GATE illustrated that within USAID there was wiggle room to express a unique subject. We at openbox9, personally appreciated the challenge of connecting all these pieces into one cohesive study.

Our hope is that these reports and websites have a meaningful impact — one that can shape the future of USAID’s programs and ensure that trade-related efforts encompass the poor and women of those nations.