Institute for Global Affairs

Making a Reputation Accessible

Client: An editorial and research organization focused on geo-political events housed at the Eurasia Group. Ongoing website strategy since 2017

• Brand identity and re-branding
• Website design & WordPress development
• Content strategy, data visualization

Results: Custom online news and reporting platform built and realigned multiple times with a full organizational rebrand executed in 2023.

The Relationship: Partnership Through Seasons of Change

When IGA launched in 2017 under its original name, Eurasia Group Foundation (EGF), openbox9 was trusted to build both its initial brand and its custom online news and reporting platform — a foundation solid enough that the launch was met with immediate credibility as a go-to resource for understandable geopolitical analysis.

openbox9 continued as IGA’s partner through multiple website realignments, an evolving print program, new data visualizations, and ongoing messaging consultation. Continuity offered valuable insights and consultation, particularly in 2023, when the Eurasia Group Foundation took the significant step of renaming itself entirely and brought openbox9 in as a trusted partner for the transition.

Strategic Foundation: Built for Clarification, not Disruption

IGA’s core strategic challenge was audience. Backed by the credibility of high-profile geopolitical analysts, the organization needed to reach both an audience less able to access media and a younger audience learning to make sense of the world that doesn’t engage with traditional news sources. That meant changing tone, word choice, and visual language to read as a trusted peer rather than a distant policy expert — without losing the substance that gives IGA’s analysis its value.

openbox9 built that shift into IGA’s foundation: a content development guide defines IGA’s voice, platform-specific training helps the team tailor messaging channel by channel, and ongoing digital strategy consultation keeps that voice consistent as the organization grows. That same foundation carried through the 2023 rename — when the organization’s name changed from EGF to IGA, the underlying strategic voice and audience-first approach stayed intact, which led to the new name landing as a clarification of the brand rather than a disruption.

Brand Management

openbox9 has managed IGA’s visual identity since the organization’s 2017 launch (as Eurasia Group Foundation) through its 2023 rename to IGA. That work includes a content development guide defining the organization’s voice for a younger, non-traditional-news audience, platform-specific messaging training for the internal team, and collateral — including folders and business cards — built as leave-behind material the team can use when making new connections.

Website

IGA’s custom online news and reporting platform, originally built by openbox9 has been realigned as the organization’s needs evolved. A custom database architecture organizes content around IGA’s core mission areas which powers an intuitive navigation system and equips the team to publish and promote timely content without design support for every post. The site also features interactive digital reports, including conditional content that can show distinct messaging in response to a user’s selection, connecting readers across mediums from long-form research reports to video and podcast content.

Print & Reports

Print materials evolved alongside the digital platform so IGA always shows up confident in it’s visual identity — leave-behind folders and business cards support in-person outreach while mission statement collateral and other printed pieces carry the same voice and visual language developed for the website and digital reports. Much of IGA’s output has migrated toward interactive digital report formats, reflecting the organization’s shift toward digital-first storytelling.

Content & Communication Strategy

Messaging consultation and digital strategy run throughout the engagement, including custom data visualizations and illustration series designed to make dense analysis approachable. The interactive, choose-your-path editorial format built into IGA’s reporting reflects this same content strategy: rather than a single static article, readers self-select the angle most relevant to them, and the copy adjusts accordingly.

How We Work Together

openbox9 functions as IGA’s long-term brand and digital partner, not just an outside vendor, which is why the relationship was positioned to guide the 2023 rename. Work spans strategic consultation (messaging, tone, audience positioning) and hands-on production (website realignments, data visualizations, print collateral) within the same relationship. openbox9 also trains IGA’s internal team to work within the systems so day-to-day publishing doesn’t require design support, while openbox9 remains the partner for larger strategic and structural changes.

Results Over Time

openbox9 first partnered with IGA to build a visual brand that would distinguish the new organization and connect with a younger audience. As IGA grew since 2017, so did its communications needs—and our role.

We evolved the website and its content infrastructure, guided IGA through a renaming process, and ultimately created a new visual identity and website built for its next stage of growth. The result is a brand that has matured alongside the organization: helping IGA broaden its reach while giving a growing team a flexible, cohesive platform to build on.