Work that matters
We've had the great privilege to work with Redthread as their brand and organisation evolved from a youth violence intervention charity to an organisation supporting young people to lead healthy, safe and happy lives, safe from violence and exploitation.
During the early stages of the project we spent time meeting their colleagues, trustees and frontline workers to truly understand the organisation and the incredible work they do and the impact it has on young people.
From here we started to develop the brand strategy, messaging, visual identity, and website.
The new brand brings Redthread's work to life, with bold copylines reflecting their tenacity and determination. Their new identity better reflects the communities that Redthread work with, shines a light on the experiences of young people, and the dedication of the Redthread staff who are by their side.
They were keen to reinforce their name – people often misheard them as 'Red Threat' – and so we made a red thread device, representing something a young peson would take hold of to guide them out of a bad place toward security, a core element of the brand.
Redthread is a leading light in the policy making around youth violence, and in their pioneering work they are a trusted voice in their professional field, so we chose a serif typeface that is friendly but has gravitas. For the emotive copylines that run throughout the brand we used a handwritten font; the frontline workers are skilled at relating to young people at their own level – indeed, some of them have lived though similar experiences – and we wanted parts of their identity to feel like a friend had written a note of support in a time of crisis.
This was a challenging and thus really interesting project to oversee. How to shape the visual identity of an organisation like Redthread who supports young victims of violence – without sensationalising? How to do justice to the expertise and commitment of our youth workers? How to word our fight for the wider system to do better for children and young people?
And I think we got there with the amazing insight and work of the Creative Concern team. They've created a brand and website which are vibrant but tranquil, simple and clear, and do proud to our vital youth work in hospitals and health settings. Thank you!
We have developed a messaging document, a set of brand guidelines, and a comprehensive toolkit of assets, which Redthread are now using to manage and develop their brand.
The website is now easy to navigate and clearly amplifies the work they do – from healthcare-based services, to staff training and policy creation. Importantly it also provides clear direction to young people and clinicians visiting the site looking for urgent help.
Visit www.redthread.org.uk to find out more about Redthread's transformative youth work, innovative training and policy priorities.
