How brand can help build a movement

There are any number of crises facing the world in 2025. A planet-threatening climate emergency and the upheaval and disruption of the coming age of AI are just two of the big challenges of the day. All of this is set against the backdrop of an increasingly divided world where the established world order is being carelessly and chaotically dismantled, creating further danger.

In times of fear and darkness, there are those who aren’t stopped in their tracks – they choose hope, step up and take action. They are the visionaries – those who can see a way of tackling challenges and building a better world for everyone. And they are needed now more than ever.

But visionaries can’t act alone. To effect real, meaningful and lasting change, they need to inspire others and build movements around their vision. Movements that channel a message of hope and motivate others to walk with them.

Martin Luther King Jr in his ‘I have a dream’ speech spoke of uniting behind hope:

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

Hope grows when people are brought together by ideas with emotional heft. For these ideas to become movements that are capable of building momentum, they need to also be possessed of clarity of purpose, coherence and character. These are traits they share with strong brands.

How movements have deployed the power of brand

Brand may not be the hero, nor is the idea of brand a stated element of many movements, but ‘brand-thinking’ offers a useful perspective on successful movements (both past and present) that agitated for and achieved change.

In the following paragraphs I hope to show the role brand played, and continues to play, in getting people to join a cause, spread the message and create real and lasting change. Brand, in this instance is rarely slick or polished – it focuses on a strong sense of its values from which consistent, intentional choices around messaging, visual identity and action flow.

Having quoted MLK I’ll start by unpacking the ‘brand identity’ of the US Civil Rights Movement.

Civil Rights movement (US)

While it wasn’t branded in the modern sense, the Civil Rights movement had moral clarity, a cohesive visual language and leadership who understood the media. Rooted in dignity, symbolism and storytelling, its identity was brought to life through photography and collective action rather than logos or graphic design. Church settings, hymn singing and linked arms became visually associated with a movement that also saw sit-ins at lunch counters and marches.

The 1963 March on Washington saw long lines of people, many dressed in their Sunday best. Looking respectable was a strategic decision that contrasted the dignity of the protestors with the violence of the segregationists. The sheer numbers and solemnity of the day made for powerful and unforgettable images.

The signs these peaceful protesters carried, with their simple, printed messages – “I AM A MAN”, “We Demand Voting Rights Now” and “End Segregated Rules in Public Schools” became iconic. Visually uniform, they functioned as a form of mobile branding – speaking of the gravity of the situation and the timelessness of the cause.

The fight for racial equality in the US faced extraordinary resistance but the Civil Rights movement, grounded in a clear and powerful ethos of justice, galvanised public support and ultimately forced change – both in policy and in how society understood basic rights. What once seemed unattainable is now accepted. And although racial gaps continue to persist, the movement is a testament to the power of collective identity and message.

Women’s suffrage movement (UK)

Use of a strategic visual identity, clear messaging and direct action were aspects of the movements (suffragists and suffragettes) that sought to give women the right to vote from the early mid-19th century onwards.

The suffragists’ methods – lobbying and petitioning – were peaceful, while the suffragettes (founded in 1903) were more militant and radical in their tactics, generating greater and more widespread awareness. The latter’s colour-coded protests and co-ordinated marches, such as the Suffragette Procession of 1910 with its costumed historical figures, generated striking imagery and made their demands difficult to ignore.

The suffragettes adopted purple (dignity), white (purity) and green (hope) to emphasise their message. These were used in banners, sashes, badges, jewellery, and even fashion, creating a powerful visual unity. Like the US Civil Rights movement, both strands of the suffrage movement understood the importance of presentation and clothing. They dressed smartly to counter the stereotypes of activists as unfeminine or disorderly.

Similarly, messaging was clear and uncompromising, “Votes for Women”, “Deeds not Words” in bold sans-serif or serif text, often in capital letters.

The power of brand, in the way we understand it today, was also present in the way that both suffragists and suffragettes sold merchandise in support of their cause, using brooches, ribbons and branded china to spread visibility and solidarity.

ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power)

A bold, design-led identity that fused urgency, anger, and defiance – ACT UP was as much about visual resistance as political protest. It deployed visual identity with striking intent – reclaiming the pink triangle, coining the stark rallying cry, “Silence = Death” and deploying guerrilla-style communication through a carefully crafted brand system.

The pink triangle was reclaimed from its Nazi-era use against gay men. Turned upright it was often set with the stark slogan, “SILENCE = DEATH”. The condensed sans-serif, capitalised typography was deliberately designed for maximum impact on posters and street actions, while the high contrast black, hot pink and white colour palette was both distinctive and legible.

Posters, wheatpastes and flyers were created with the help of the art collective Gran Fury. Their guerilla-style graphic design combined advertising techniques with radical messaging. Campaigns such as “Kissing Doesn’t Kill” used provocative visuals to challenge public fear and address policy neglect.

Extinction Rebellion (UK-founded global environmental movement)

We needed to make protest positive – focused on positive resistance that went beyond the actual site of immediate protest on the day. We also wanted to create an aesthetic which, when you saw it out in the world, was beautiful and made you want to immediately find out more about the movement and join it. I didn’t know [giving away brand toolkits] was going to do as much heavy lifting as it did. The giving away very quickly facilitated that rapid growth of the movement. And I don’t think it would have grown the same without it.

Clare Farrell, co-founder Extinction Rebellion (XR)
XR built a decentralised yet cohesive identity around their striking hourglass symbol, a manifesto-style tone of voice and a semi-open source brand toolkit that could be shared, adapted and brought to life by its many diverse supporters, including artists and activists.

XR’s hourglass inside a circle was created by artist ESP and symbolises time running out. It’s minimal, graphic and works in any medium, whether it’s daubed on handmade signs or digitally reproduced.

The blocky, all-caps type has a hand-made, screen-printed feel which further emphasises this rough and DIY aesthetic – the antithesis of corporate branding.

“It needed to be confrontational and recognisable but not perfect. It needs to be something anyone can pick up. And people might see what’s happening here on Tuesday in London and maybe by Thursday in Rio.”

Breaking with environmental campaigning’s traditional colour palette, XR’s neon brights (hot pinks, acid greens, cyan blues) set against black, made them visually distinctive.Their simple ’Design Programme’ (a visual identity toolkit that’s available online) offers guidance on posters, icons and banners and embeds the movement’s principles of empowerment and accessibility for all supporters, while ensuring consistency for the cause.

XR isn’t just an activism-led political protest, it’s also an artistic movement. Artists, musicians, writers, directors and performers have used their talents and imaginations to inspire change. Costumed protestors (such as the “Red Rebels”), dramatic props, die-ins and theatrical interventions have been created to be both photogenic and symbolic. The video features some of those involved talking about how and why they got involved:

Using art, drama and visual shock to cut through public apathy, XR has created both a movement and a brand that invites participation while preserving consistency and coherence.

Core rallying cry – a clear call to action

It can sometimes be tempting to think of movements as emotional surges – grounded in feeling rather than focus. But the most effective ones strike a balance between symbolic clarity and strategic specificity. Each of the movements below had a rallying cry people could repeat and remember, one which also translated into policy demands that were clear, winnable and time-bound.

Being explicit in this way matters. It gives supporters something to fight for, not just against. And it also gives decision-makers something to act on.

Movement	Rallying cry	Focused policy ask	Outcome
UK Suffrage	Votes for women	Voting rights legislation	Achieved over time (1918, 1928)
US Civil Rights Movement	Equality and civil rights	End segregation, voting rights, fair housing	Major legal victories (Civil Rights Act 1964, Voting Rights Act 1965, Fair Housing Act 1968)
ACT UP	Silence = Death	Specific health policy demands	High-impact policy and cultural change
Extinction Rebellion	Tell the truth – Act now	Advocate for a Citizens’ Assembly and a transition to a carbon-neutral future.	Raised awareness; limited policy movement*

*As a contemporary movement, XR’s work is far from over. They remain a prominent voice within the global climate movement, continuing to organise actions, rallies and moments of disruption both in the UK and around the world. The scale of change they’re calling for is vast – but there’s no doubt that the conversation has begun.

Change doesn’t always come from protest

The examples I’ve shared so far are rooted in protest – in disruption, direct action and challenge. But the same principles apply to any changemaker seeking to educate, persuade and build something better. Not all movements ‘take to the streets’.

The Living Wage campaign launched by Citizens UK in 2001 is a case in point. Rather than confront, it aimed to collaborate – working with employers to champion a voluntary wage based on the real cost of living, not just the legal minimum. Their founding principle was simple: people should earn enough to live with dignity. Over 15,000 employers across the UK have now signed up, improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers.

The movement’s identity is quiet but strong – clean, professional and rooted in shared values. The Living Wage badge became a symbol of ethical business, something to display with pride. Similar to the ‘smartly dressed’ approach deployed so successfully by earlier movements, The Living Wage campaign made its movement feel mainstream – not fighting against employers, but inviting them to be part of the solution.

As Citizens UK put it, “By building positive working relationships between people in our communities, elected power-holders and businesses, we make sure our members are getting a seat at decision-making tables and are heard.” It’s a reminder that movements can shift power not just through protest, but through participation – helping people come together, find common ground and win real change.

How hope can start a movement

The principles behind using brand to shape a collective identity that drives change apply to all charities and changemakers today. The message is simple but powerful – a strong brand or campaign identity can only be as effective as the clarity of the change you’re seeking. Momentum builds when people understand what they’re joining – and what success looks like.

Movements work when people feel seen, included and empowered. Brand guides them in and maintains their involvement. It’s a tool for enabling supporters, not just persuading audiences.

By definition, movements move. They are about going somewhere. Finding solutions. People join that forward motion out of hope, not fear. Out of the belief that something different is possible and that their voice matters in bringing it about.

As Byung-Chul Han writes, “Only when there is hope can we be on our way. Hope provides meaning and orientation. Fear, by contrast, stops us in our tracks.” The movements that shape our world – whether quietly or dramatically – are the ones that offer people not just a cause, but a direction.