Figtree names charity merger Catch 22

Figtree has named and created the new identity for Catch22, a new organisation formed from the mergers of charities Rainer and Crime Concern.

Appointed in late July, following the merger, Figtree came through a strategic competitive pitch against three other consultancies to win the contract.

According to Scott Chan, account manager at Figtree, the basis for the brief was the question, ‘Where would you like the charity to go?’

Figtree undertook workshops, interviews and focus groups to establish the best approach. Interviews were conducted with 50 key stakeholders, comprising commissioners, governmental representatives, individual donors, volunteers, employees, young people and trustees.

Chan says, ‘[The stakeholders are] polar opposites in terms of who the brand needs to work for – a commissioner wants it to be reliable and a young person doesn’t want to be criticised for being associated with it.’

A workshop in Birmingham followed, where 300 employees were asked how they felt about the brand, and the name Catch22 was subsequently chosen.

Figtree says the name suggests the conflicting situation many young people find themselves in, adding that accompanied by the tagline ‘Helping young people out’, it meets the objectives of the charity.

The name Catch22, which is also the title of a 1961 novel by Joseph Heller, passed through a rigorous legal process, as book names cannot be trademarked.

It was decided that Catch22 was permissible on the grounds of having passed into common discourse. ‘We’ve obviously taken more than one legal opinion and it took a bit of lawyers’ time,’ says Figtree partner Simon Myers.

The new identity, which was launched on Monday, is to be rolled out across a website and brochure. Chan says that in the next four months Figtree will be helping Catch22 roll out the new identity across its 104 current projects.

‘We’ll be looking at changing the structure and advising on changing things like signage,’ he says.