Blind Veterans UK undertook a brand refresh in 2018, alongside a new corporate strategy.
Market research showed that whilst members and carers valued the strong sense of community the charity provides, potential supporters needed more evidence of the life-changing transformation they made to people’s lives when considering supporting them. As a result they developed a new brand personality: Team Transformation which was brought to life with one a set of four values (caring, trustworthy, pioneering and celebratory). Values that were then translated into behaviours to inform the culture internally and tone of voice principles.
The charity’s head of brand and marketing Mark Whatham explains why this new brand personality was so important. He says: “We want to help the veterans we support feel they’re part of a wider Blind Veterans UK community. A community that’ll help them to pick up their lives again and regain their independence through training and rehabilitation, practical advice and support. A community that will help them find their self-belief and determination. In short, we want to give them a sense of belonging and help them thrive. This is at the heart of our personality: Team Transformation.”
“Why Team? Because, as a community, we’re one big team. Veterans, carers, friends, family, staff, volunteers, supporters and specialists. All working together to support blind veterans. We’re caring and we’re trustworthy. Core qualities of any effective team. And Transformation? Well, our expert knowledge, specialist equipment and day-to-day support help transform the life of every blind veteran who needs us. We have a pioneering, can-do attitude and celebrate our impact. This is the personality we want to convey when we speak or write about ourselves.”
At the same time the visual identity was refreshed with a focus on making it more accessible and instantly recognisable with a new headline font, colour palette and photography style to show veterans’ stories from isolation to transformation. The movement of the Union Jack flag within the existing logo was also turned into a graphic device to add more energy and consistency to the brand identity system. Combined all these visual and language elements worked together to help cement a new tone of voice that was strong and consistent.
This case study is part of the CharityComms Brand 360 Best Practice Guide.