Bowel Cancer UK rebrands with “star of hope” symbol
The charity has recently merged with Beating Bowel Cancer, so has been rebranded by The Team in a bid to reflect the “human” side of the organisation.
Design studio The Team has created a new brand for charity Bowel Cancer UK, following its merger with fellow charity Beating Bowel Cancer in January.
Bowel Cancer UK was founded in 1984, originally named The Britta Dolan Memorial Cancer Fund. It has gone through several name iterations, eventually being renamed Bowel Cancer UK in 2005.
It launched smaller sub-charity Beating Bowel Cancer in 1998, and at the start of this year, the two charities have merged to create one, bigger organisation.
According to Bowel Cancer UK, bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with 42,000 people diagnosed with the condition every year. It is the second most fatal cancer, with over 16,000 people dying from the condition every year.
The new brand is centred around a star-ribbon symbol, known as the “Star of Hope”, which is used in the logo alongside the charity name and strapline set in sans-serif typeface Neris. This typeface has been used across all communications.
“The typeface has a lovely, organic quality to it, which we felt really captured the human aspects of the brand, which we were trying to hero,” says Ryan Miller, senior designer at The Team.
This star icon is an international symbol for bowel cancer, and is used across the UK, US and other countries. It has been used as it “strongly resonates with supporters and patients”, says Miller.
“We came to the decision that using that international symbol was the right thing to do, while helping the charity make it its own with a new suite of colours and accompanying typeface,” Miller adds. “The overall shape is recognised internationally.”
The ribbon element is carried through communications, used across online and print platforms as a background and holding device for text and imagery.
A core colour palette of navy, teal and yellow has been incorporated, and flat graphic illustrations have been used, which take on the same style as the star-ribbon logo.
“The stakeholders were very aware of the excessive use of pinks, purples and blues within the cancer charity sector,” says Miller. “We wanted to push colour into a new space and help them stand out, so leading on the teal and yellow is quite a point of difference.”
A new tone of voice has also been incorporated, centred around the strapline “Beating Bowel Cancer Together”, which aims to “acknowledge the combination of forces and contributions made by supporters of the two former charities”, says the studio.
The brand has now rolled out across all touchpoints, including print and marketing collateral, online platforms and merchandise.
The “star of hope” ? Are you shitting me? I think the designers are taking the piss.