Somerset Community Foundation asked us to review their brand identity and recommend a way forward that would see the brand itself better support the foundation’s mission of inspiring philanthropy and enabling social action.
There’s no doubt that Somerset is a beautiful county to live in, with plentiful green space, stunning countryside, a thriving local food and drink scene and a relatively relaxed pace of life. But there’s another side to Somerset that doesn’t always get the airtime it deserves – one of deprivation and urgent, unmet social and community needs.
Community foundations are charitable organisations that support defined geographical areas, generating and directing funds to the causes and places that need them most through their work with local charities, community groups and social enterprises. Now, more than ever, marginalised people and communities in Somerset need the Foundation’s help and it’s vital that the organisation has a strong brand identity to help build its profile, increase funding and create that positive change.
Somerset Community Foundation recognised that their brand identity was not fit for purpose. It had an ambitious strategy of engaging with wealthy individuals, families and businesses, inspiring them to donate, as well as growing funds via grants from local authorities and the Government. They had also increased the number of groups they were looking to support including those that were new and in areas that were previously under-represented.
As is always the case in this sector, the Foundation had a restricted budget and looked to us to offer a creative and collaborative solution that would make the best use of the funds available.
This is the first rebrand process I’ve worked on so it was nerve-wracking for me, but from the moment we started working with Sue, I knew we’d get an amazing end result. I don’t think I was prepared for how much we would be stretched and challenged, and how the detailed research and consultation Sue did would help us see ourselves in a completely new light.
Laura Blake, Philanthropy Director, Somerset Community Foundation
Our inclusive and collaborative approach, working closely with the foundation and its various audiences made the most of the limited budget and ensured buy-in for the new brand identity.
Our review pointed the way to a bold brand refresh that could play a more significant role in delivering their strategic objectives moving forward.
To develop a relatable brand with wide appeal in this sector, it’s vital that all the voices in the room are heard. In this case, we knew we needed to engage with all the audiences – from potential and existing philanthropists and professional advisers, to the Foundation’s own team and beneficiary organisations.
We took an inclusive approach from the start. Co-creating the brand concept would not only make the limited budget go further, it would also result in a brand identity that was meaningful to all the disparate audience groups that come into contact with the Foundation.
We ran discovery workshops with staff, trustees, philanthropists and grantees, supporting our findings with staff and trustee surveys, and interviews with professional advisers. We wanted to find out how much appetite there was for dialling things up and opting for a bolder and more campaigning tone of voice. We tested ideas with themed moodboards, going from calm and straightforward, via bright and bold, to more activist and active in tone.
The county is large and varied, with coastal areas, iconic tors such as Glastonbury and the Somerset Levels. We wanted to avoid overused landmarks which might too specifically reference a particular area. Our workshops encouraged participants to co-create the identity with us, discussing visual motifs of Somerset – what to avoid and what to embrace.
The strategic direction and identity of the new branding centred on the concept of ‘Directed Giving’. The visual arrow devices communicate how the foundation directs funds to where they’ll have the most impact as well evoking a sense of place, reflecting Somerset’s famous starling murmurations. Comprehensive brand guidelines and branded templates meant the foundation’s staff were able to make full use of the new identity themselves across all platforms and media.
Drawing on the positioning we defined during the research and strategy stages, we homed in on a brand essence of ‘Directed Giving’. This was the creative jumping off point that informed the messaging and visuals. It has a strong focus on the difference the Foundation makes – namely, an unrivalled depth of local knowledge which means that funding is swiftly directed to, received by and put to work for the causes and places where it can have the greatest impact.
The strapline ‘Directing funds. Driving Change.’ marked a shift to a more assured tone which was also reflected in the visual solution.
The arrow device – an abstracted heart / starling – reflects the idea of ‘Directed Giving’ and also references the famous starling murmurations over the Somerset Levels.
The result has transformed not only how we look and sound and how we engage with our stakeholders, but how we feel about ourselves and the work we do with our communities. Even more importantly, it has ignited even greater ambition for the growth of our charity and the impact we want to make in the future.
Laura Blake, Philanthropy Director, Somerset Community Foundation
We developed a flexible brand language, with a singular use of colour, typography and a clear brand architecture for the Foundation’s sub-brand funds:
As well as providing brand guidelines, we also developed tone of voice guidance to support the shift from a more corporate and pedestrian style to a warmer, more confident, contemporary and dynamic one. Working closely with the Foundation team meant it was far easier to tread that fine line between appealing to all the community groups that the Foundation serves and attracting a new generation of philanthropists, without alienating their existing core audiences.
We recommended renaming the three main ways of giving to make the options clearer and more easily differentiated:
Endowment Fund → Forever Fund
Flow-through Fund → Immediate Impact Fund
Named Fund → Charitable Fund
And finally, being fully aware that as a small charity, Somerset Community Foundation has limited resources – we prepared and handed over branded templates and assets that the in-house team and their creative partners can use themselves in the future.
