Johnson Banks raises Shelter’s roof

Shelter rolled out its new brand identity this week as part of a £250 000 campaign. Johnson Banks and ad agency Hooper Galton collaborated on a re-positioning of the charity, which aims to shift the public’s perception of its work towards the wider agenda of housing problems.

The charity’s new marque and strapline ‘Bad Housing Wrecks Lives’, were introduced as part of the Million Children Campaign. The biggest campaign in the charity’s history, the £250 000 push will run for three years and is designed to draw attention to the impact of poor housing on children.

Ben Jackson, director of communications and campaigns at Shelter, explains, ‘We needed branding that was bold and spelt out a strong, campaigning message. The new work enshrines our values of being intrusive, authoritative and positive and is flexible enough to work across the broad range of our audiences.’

The charity’s marque has been shifted subtly to incorporate the principle of a house within it. Johnson Banks creative director Michael Johnson hopes that the ‘h’ will become a shorthand for Shelter in the way that Nike’s swoosh has become synonymous with the trainer brand. The rebrand and refreshed visual identity are both part of a communications overhaul at the charity.

‘Shelter changed the emphasis of its work some time ago, from rough sleepers to dealing with appalling housing conditions,’ says Johnson. ‘The organisation has moved on, but there has been a perception lag among the public. It wanted to do something dramatic to change its message, to show that it is a powerful, serious, campaigning organisation.’

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