THE CHALLENGE
Shelter is a national charity on a mission to end homelessness and unfit housing. It does this by fighting the causes, as well as offering support to people experiencing homelessness. Shelter's grassroots stretch back to the 1960s and while it had an ageing core of donors who'd been there since the beginning, the charity had little recognition or relevance among younger people today. The challenge for me was to reignite Shelter's fire with a voice that resonated with the young, and make them take notice and start supporting. As older supporters sadly passed away, this rebrand was a matter of survival.
THE DELIVERABLES
A fully rebranded verbal identity, with accessible guidelines that anyone in the charity could use to write on-tone, a launch campaign and copywriting across all channels, including campaigns, web and retail. In collaboration with Superunion and Who Wot Why.
THE ANSWER
We took Shelter back to its beginnings as a grassroots movement and an organisation of protest. I knew that this charity needed to sound like the kind of person who dares you to look away. In a sea of fussy charities that always speak in a measured way, there was a huge opportunity to cut through the noise and rock the boat.
THE OUTCOME
An unapologetically brave new voice that’s resoundingly ‘in your face’, without alienating. This award-winning verbal identity was designed to work visually, with typographical red brush stroke interventions – inspired by words on protest placards, the red brush allows you to alter, change or add words for added impact. Shelter’s rebrand launched in 2021 with a national OOH, television and social campaign that saw a collaboration with rapper Wretch32.
Challenging Boris Johnson at the Conservative party conference
Shelter’s rebranded fundraising pack guidebook
