Disability charity Scope gets a rebrand to push for a “fairer society”

Design studio The Team has given the charity a new identity centred around the equals symbol, in a bid to highlight its aim to make the UK a better place for people with disabilities to “work and live”.

Scope has been rebranded by The Team, in a bid to focus on the charity’s aim to create “a fairer society for disabled people”.

Scope is a national disability charity, which supports people with disabilities and campaigns for disability rights, living and working conditions.

Some of the services it offers include providing practical advice and emotional support through its online forum and telephone helpline, offering employment services and community engagement programmes.

Its current strategy centres around “everyday equality” and looks to improve the daily lives of those with disabilities, by “changing attitudes and ending injustice”, according to Scope.

The new branding has been created by The Team in collaboration with Scope’s in-house design team, and the design was completed in a two-week design sprint environment with both creative teams working together.

The Team’s branding for the charity includes a new logo, which features “Scope” set in white in a new sans-serif typeface Hargreaves, named after Bill Hargreaves, the first disabled person to sit on Scope’s council.

This is used alongside an equal (“=”) sign, and the strapline “Equality for disabled people”, all set against a purple background.

A secondary colour palette of yellow, teal and off-white has been used across the core palette of purple and white in communications, and a suite of illustrations and icons has been created, which look to represent a diverse range of people with disabilities, says Clare Wilson, creative lead at The Team.

All the design assets have been created with legibility and therefore accessibility in mind, she adds, with typeface and colour combinations chosen that were easier to read.

For example, Hargreaves typeface has a large x-height, large spacing between each letter, open counters and no ambiguity between letters and numerals, such as capital “I” and the number “1” symbols.

The colour purple has long been associated with Scope so was retained, and yellow was used for high contrast. Off-white reduces screen glare and is easier to read than white as a background colour, adds Wilson.

A suite of new photography featuring people with disabilities also looks to show “life in the round, the good and bad days”, says Wilson, to enable the brand to feel both “sensitive and authentic”.

The design decisions, particularly around legibility, were made in conjunction with a pan-disability focus group, who informed The Team and Scope about what they found easiest to read.

The rebrand aims to not only raise awareness of Scope and its goal to create a more equal society, but also raise awareness of disability discrimination and the long way there is to go.

“There have been so many voices around equality, particularly around gender equality and racial discrimination, but the big movement for disability equality has never really arrived,” Wilson says. “We thought it might after the 2012 Paralympic Games, but it hasn’t.

“Looking at the United Nations’ Sustainability Development goals, of which there are 17, there’s not one that’s precisely for disabled people. Scope are looking to lead the movement on this, and make the UK a fairer place for disabled people to work and live.

“This is not just about rebranding the charity, but rebranding the cause. Equality had to be at the heart of the brand, and that’s why there’s an equal sign right in the logo.”

Scope’s new branding is currently rolling out across print and marketing materials, merchandise and staff uniforms, wayfinding and signage and online platforms including the website.

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