Hat Trick unveils look for drug charity merger

Three UK addiction charities have merged this week to form a new organisation, Action on Addiction, with an identity and branding by Hat Trick Design.

Residential and day treatment centres groups Clouds and The Chemical Dependency Agency will merge with research charity Action on Addiction to form one of the top ten addiction charities in the UK, with rehabilitation, support, training and research resources.

‘The charity sector for addiction is quite fragmented, with several hundred [groups] around. By having a much larger organisation, with pooled resources, we hope to have a much bigger impact. Uniting three organisations under one name is a huge project to undertake in a short space of time,’ explains Action on Addiction head of communications Nicola Brian.

Hat Trick Design was appointed to the project in February following a three- way competitive pitch against undisclosed design groups. It was tasked with helping the three charities define the new organisation’s image, values and positioning.

The name Action on Addiction was retained because of its ability to communicate the organisation’s remit in a powerful and succinct way. Brian explains that the concept for the branding was born out of the idea that recovery from addiction is a journey from darkness to light.

‘Hat Trick used this idea as the basis for the visuals. We were keen to use the letter “a” to symbolise us leading the way, as it’s the first letter of the alphabet. The choice of colours – black and magenta – describes both our compassion as a charity and the dark side of addiction,’ says Brian.