Scottish National Trust launches youthful image

The National Trust for Scotland launches its final tranche of communications material this week, designed by HG Design, as the organisation moves to raise its profile and target a younger audience.

The project is the culmination of 18 months’ work by the group and includes the trust’s 112-page property guide, leaflets for its 14 key properties, cruise brochures, point of sale material and restaurant and café menus.

According to The National Trust for Scotland marketing manager Ian Gardner, the work follows the group’s revamp of the trust’s brand last year. The project represents the implementation of its newly created style guidelines.

The revamp was prompted by the need to achieve greater standout for the charity, which relies on donations and recruiting new members, says Gardner.

‘The trust wanted to achieve greater consistency in the way that people see it and better recognition of the trust and the values it stands for,’ he adds. ‘We want a higher profile name and for the trust to be seen as different from its competitors.’

Debbie Strang, design director at HG Design, says the group was briefed to make the brand ‘more market friendly and more appealing to a broader age range, including younger people with families’.

The brand’s new style is ‘colourful, modern and strong’ and uses photography supported by ‘well structured typography’ to encourage people to pick up and read on, she adds.

HG Design, which has been working with the organisation for over three years, was appointed to the project without a pitch. Strang and creative director Harry Griffiths led the project creatively.