NFU Services brand farms out work to Lippa Pearce

Lippa Pearce has created the brand identity for Associa, a spin-off business from NFU Services, the commercial division of the National Farmers’ Union, that aims to supply small trade associations with marketing expertise.

Associa is positioned as a ‘one-stop shop’ capable of handling subscriptions, databases, in-house publications, call centres and affinity schemes, and will be available to trade bodies from a variety of sectors who lack the in-house resources to provide such services to their members.

NFU Services provides the union with legal, publishing and professional services, but is keen to broaden its reach outside the agricultural industry.

Lippa Pearce was appointed to design the brand name and identity last September on the strength of previous work for the NFU. Managing director Giles Calver says the client wanted to develop a strong brand name, but gave the consultancy a free hand as to how this was achieved.

‘There was a lengthy consultation period in which we worked together defining the corporate positioning, service values, personality, target market and message strategy,’ he says. ‘Then we were able to come up with the name and visual identity.’

According to Calver, the name was chosen to reflect the target market for the business. ‘The identity conveys a friendly, approachable feel, emphasised by the varying typeface and colour palette throughout,’ he says. ‘It uses visually bold and metaphorical photographic images, as opposed to being text-heavy.’

Calver adds that the ‘facing Ss’ of the logotype highlight the partnership between Associa and its clients.