DesignStudio rebrands Mind with focus on social change

The project has been in the works for more than a year, and includes a sensitive redrawing of the “iconic and truly loved” scribble logo.

DesignStudio has refreshed the branding for UK mental health charity Mind, in a bid to reveal the organisation’s “fighting spirit and authentic personality” as it looks to push for social change and become a source of inspiration.

Established in 1946, Mind is among the oldest charities of its kind in the UK. The aim of the organisation is to provide advice and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem. It also campaigns across the country to improve services and raise awareness.

“Hundreds of squiggles”

DesignStudio was approached for the project in early 2020, just before the first UK lockdown, creative director Vinay Mistry says. He says the brief stated the need to build on Mind’s existing equity from its strategy and visual identity.

A main focus of the project was the Mind logo, which he says is “iconic and truly loved” by the public. The icon, whose continuous line scribble is supposed to represent a mind full of thoughts, was “approached sensitively”, Mistry says.

“Through our analysis of the logo we learnt that it needed to improve so that it could be impactful when placed alongside partners, clear when used at small scales and flexible for digital applications,” he says.

The process involved drawing “hundreds of squiggles”, as well as “understanding the right forms and shapes that would make the perfect marque”.

“Thicker and more confident”

The wordmark has also been redrawn and simplified as part of the project, Mistry continues. “It’s now thicker and more confident,” he says.

In addition, the team has dropped the tagline, so the logo and wordmark are clear and legible at all sizes. A bespoke logo for Mind Cymru, drawn in the same style, has also been developed.

A bespoke typeface has been developed by the team in collaboration with Monotype. Mind Meridian is an accessible font, which has been designed to be legible for those with visual impairments.

It replaces the previous three typefaces used by the charity, and aims to be “warm and approachable”.

“Capturing the huge variety of personal viewpoints”

Alongside the logo and wordmark, the DesignStudio team has “evolved” the original blue brand colour. It is now “brighter and energetic” and is then supported by a broader palette of bright colours which Mistry says reflect Mind’s “fighting spirit”.

A suite of squiggles has also been created, inspired by the logo. “Inspired by the original hand-drawn symbol we’ve created a set of ‘squiggly’ elements including hand-drawn illustrations, super squiggles and squiggly punctuation allowing Mind to capture personal stories authentically,” he says.

These squiggles have been “donated” to DesignStudio from people across the studio, not just designers. “Unified through colour they capture the huge variety of personal viewpoints and experiences around Mental Health,” Mistry says.

Moving “away from traditional charity cues”

The sum of the work is a brand that “shifts away from traditional charity cues”, Mistry says.

“Our new purpose statement enables Mind to be an active source of inspiration, whilst continuing to make a life changing impact,” he adds. “It was important for us to embrace a distinctive tone and visual identity that is modern, authentic and relatable.”

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  • Louise May 18, 2021 at 8:12 am

    Really love this and love how squiggles were donated from others to make it truly unique 🙂

  • Daniel Battams May 24, 2021 at 5:14 pm

    Great work 🙂

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