Innocence moves on Co-op brand

Innocence is working with the Co-operative Movement, a coalition of consumer-owned businesses across the UK, to devise common brand standards for its high street retail offers, Design Week can exclusively reveal.

The project is the first major client win for Innocence since the 30-strong Interbrand spin-off began operating as an independent design consultancy within the Omnicom network. Joint creative directors Mark Smith and John Molton are leading the design team.

The Co-operative Movement has around 40 member societies embracing food retailing, funerals, travel and financial services.

While the project is at an early stage, a spokesman for the Co-operative Group, which is the largest business in the movement, says outputs are likely to include corporate identity guidelines, a shared visual language and brand architecture ideas.

‘This is about getting more marketing clout than we currently have [across the movement],’ he says.

But the spokesman denies the move signals a single brand. ‘The Co-operative Group is just one part of the process and won’t be telling other societies how to brand their businesses. This isn’t foreshadowing [a single] Co-op UK.’

The initiative follows recommendations by a Government-endorsed commission that the movement consider a ‘more uniform approach’ to branding.