Brand refocus for a leading social charity

Plunkett Foundation helps communities to take control of their challenges and overcome them through co-operation.

Focussing on people and issues

Plunkett Foundation supports people, predominantly in rural areas, to set up and run life-changing community co-operatives; enterprises that are owned and run democratically by large numbers of people in their community.

Because Plunkett helps people to tackle a range of issues, from isolation and loneliness to poverty, they wanted their revised brand to focus on people and the issues they face.

In 2015 we were asked to work on a refresh of their branding and to revise their communications guidelines. We also worked with Plunkett on a new strapline, helping people to understand exactly what Plunkett does.

We have been working the Plunkett Foundation for over seven years. Their commitment to co-operatives makes them very close to our heart, and working with them is always rewarding.

First things first

Our starting point was imagery – capturing people living and working in a countryside environment that is often far from idyllic. After considering the photography, it was clear that both the typography and colour palette needed to sit comfortably with it.

We explored various options with Plunkett, and agreed on a bold, geometric typeface that has chiselled letterforms giving it a crafted quality. We also strengthened their logo, making it more uniform while retaining recognisability.

Applying the new typeface to the logo immediately improved its strength and clarity, with more emphasis on Plunkett’s foundation status.

The new colour palette suggests evocative countryside materials such as foliage, hessian and stonework. It allows for a flexible interpretation of any issues they need to reflect and is wide ranging enough to allow distinctive looks for different kinds of materials.

We also produced a set of simple to use brand guidelines, available as an interactive pdf.

Applying the brand

Since developing the revised brand, we have produced an Impact Report and Trustees’ Report together with a series of Better Business co-operative sector documents and membership materials. These sympathetically reflect the hardships and uniqueness of rural life and the positive contribution that Plunkett Foundation makes to improving rural communities.