Design Bridge helps Save the Children unite as “one global brand”

Design Bridge has overhauled Save the Children’s branding in an effort to “unify different international members”.

The charity was founded in 1919 and now includes 29 other national Save the Children organisations, which are either members or associate members of the Save the Children Association and coordinate work in more than 120 countries.

The new branding takes its lead from the charity’s new strategy to create “one global movement”, according to Design Bridge.

Tone of voice, photographic style, a new colour palette and campaign templates have all been introduced.

Create a global brand

Design Bridge design director John Wigham says that the consultancy’s main task was to “create a global brand for Save the Children that would unify its different international members and strengthen its communications, both internally and externally.”

As a starting point he says this meant “establishing a clear brand personality by looking into the history of the charity and its founder, the pioneering social-reformer Eglantyne Jebb, who wrote the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which underpins today’s UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

After the research stage, which confirmed Eglantyne Jebb’s vision, the brand characteristics compassionate, courageous, pioneering and outspoken were established. These also support the charity’s mission to “do whatever it takes to save children”.

The identity system and tone of voice have been born out of this. The tone of voice focuses on “telling true, heartfelt stories in a compelling way,” according to Design Bridge creative director of brand language Holly Kielty.

Proactive and fiercely protective

“The tone is always proactive, future-focused, and fiercely protective, communicating a sense of hope. Messages are conveyed simply and confidently, bolstered by new typography and a system we have created for highlighting headline text as a bold call to action,” she adds.

Photography has been worked on with Save the Children’s in-house creative team. Its tone is again pro-active and looks to visually tell stories of saving, protecting and educating children.

Wigham says: “We felt that photography should always tell a story, provide a real context and show the positive effects of Save the Children’s work wherever possible. If a disaster zone is pictured, it provides the context to what Save the Children is doing on the ground and the children they are helping.”

Red circle as framing device

The red circle from the brand’s logo has become a framing device to capture any temporary activity and help emphasise the power of the photography.

A deep red has been introduced as the main colour to differentiate from other charities, which have bright red as their main colour. Meanwhile a secondary softer palette adds “depth and flexibility”.