Making Waves Education Foundation

Making Waves Education Foundation is a Bay Area nonprofit committed to closing opportunity gaps through academic coaching, financial literacy, and career support for students from middle school through college. Its charter school, Making Waves Academy, prepares students for success in higher education and beyond.

With such a wide mission, Making Waves needed expert design support to consistently showcase their impact across annual reports, campus signage, digital campaigns, and more. That’s where Acton Circle came in—delivering polished, accessible designs that carried their message across every touchpoint.

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Before

Making Waves already had the essentials: a strong mission, powerful stories, and meaningful results. But they still needed a way to form all of these into a cohesive brand experience that:

• Engaged donors and students
• Maintained a unified look across platforms
• Elevated impact data and student voices

After

Together, we transformed Making Waves’ communications through campaign materials and reports steeped in visual storytelling. Each piece aligned with their brand and advanced their larger goals.

What we delivered:

• Annual and impact reports that reinforce donor trust and reach a broader audience
• Large-scale mural design to inspire pride and empowerment across campuses
• Fundraising assets that positioned their initiatives with clarity and credibility
• Mobile-friendly visuals and layouts to engage students, faculty, and families directly
• Mission-aligned designs that extended their reach across print and digital platforms

As a result, Making Waves established a visual presence that’s cohesive, powerful, and easy to resonate with. They’re now able to show up consistently, boldly, and beautifully—so their mission of equity wasn’t just told… it was seen, felt, and understood.