Dogstar creates ‘lively’ new look for Crest young science awards

Dogstar has rebranded Crest, an awards scheme for school pupils run by the British Science Association.

Crest stands for Creativity in Science and Technology, and is a UK-wide award scheme that gives young people aged 11-19 the chance to develop their awareness of science, engineering, technology and maths by participating in creative science projects.

The scheme, which has run for 22 years, attracts at least 28 000 participants each year.

Alex Moore, account manager at Dogstar, says the consultancy was appointed last autumn following a pitch.

Moore says Dogstar previously worked with the British Science Association on projects such as annual reports, and also pitched for the organisation’s rebrand, which was completed in January by To The Point.

The new Crest identity will be rolled out ahead of the BSA’s national Big Bang event, a fair for young scientists and engineers, which will be held at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, on 4-6 March.

Jodie Cole, project co-ordinator of secondary award schemes for the BSA, says, ‘We wanted something fresh and creative – the previous identity had been a bit flat.’

Emma Atkinson, creative director at Dogstar, says, ‘The teenage market is always difficult. The creative has to make the brand “cool” without being patronising, and also has to avoid alienating younger participants.

‘We wanted to develop a concept that, more than anything else, was fun. We were conscious that we didn’t want to negate Crest’s 22-year heritage, but had to create a really lively, appealing concept.’