Type of Work
Brand Consulting
Topic
Brand Identity and Representation
Challenge
How do you ensure every element of a new brand communicates the values and ambitions behind organisational change?
The Fawcett Society was transitioning to a more member-powered, grassroots-led movement tackling sexism and misogyny. Alongside this strategic shift came the development of a new visual identity, tone of voice, manifesto and messaging.
The challenge extended far beyond designing a new logo. Every element of the emerging brand needed to communicate confidence, inclusivity and purpose while remaining authentic to the organisation’s heritage and resonating with both existing members and future supporters.
Contribution
Having previously worked closely with a member of Fawcett’s leadership team in a communications role, I was invited to join the organisation’s Communications Advisory Group as a communications and branding professional.
Working alongside a small group of external advisers, I contributed feedback throughout three structured stages of the rebrand as the visual identity, tone of voice, manifesto and messaging evolved.
My role was to consider not simply how the brand looked, but what it communicated. I explored how typography, colour, language and visual direction worked together to express the organisation’s purpose and ambition, while also raising questions around accessibility and audience perception to help ensure the identity felt as inclusive and welcoming as intended.
Outcome
The Communications Advisory Group contributed to successive iterations of the rebrand, helping shape the final brand identity through structured feedback and discussion.
For me, the experience reinforced the value of building brands collaboratively rather than in isolation. By bringing together communications professionals with different perspectives and lived experiences, Fawcett created a process that encouraged ideas to be tested, challenged and refined before implementation.
The project also demonstrated how thoughtful consultation can strengthen not only the final identity itself, but confidence in the decisions behind it.
Reflection
I’d seen agile, iterative approaches used in the development of digital systems before, but this was the first time I’d experienced that same methodology applied to brand identity. Rather than striving for the perfect solution from the outset, ideas evolved through cycles of discussion, testing and refinement. Watching that process unfold gave me a new appreciation for branding as a strategic discipline rather than simply a creative exercise.
Being part of a small Communications Advisory Group also brought a genuine sense of responsibility. Every person in the room had been invited because they brought a particular expertise, and every conversation had the potential to strengthen the final outcome. It reinforced my belief that the strongest brands are rarely created by the loudest voice in the room. They are shaped through listening, curiosity and a willingness to challenge assumptions.
Perhaps the biggest lesson I took away was that every design decision communicates something. Typography, colour, imagery and language are never simply aesthetic choices; together they tell people who an organisation is, what it stands for and who it exists to serve. The most effective brands don’t just attract attention. They create recognition, trust and belonging.