Giving a brand a consistent and clear personality

BACKGROUND

YPO is a public sector procurement organisation, based in Yorkshire. It provides a range of resources and services to schools, councils, charities, emergency services and other public sector organisations. As a local authority owned enterprise, its profit motives are to re-invest in its business, which gives the organisation a distinct outlook compared to the commercial sector.

CHALLENGE

Following a competitive tender, EBY were successful in securing the Brand Marketing partner agency position for four years. As part of the award the initial brief was to evolve YPO’s current brand identity and create a more consistent approach for its family of sub-brands.

SOLUTION

Having to work with graphic elements of the current brand identity could have proved restrictive. However, we were able to develop elements of the existing identity using abstract shapes, brand colours and icons to create a much broader range of complementary assets. In turn the expanded collection of graphics devices also allowed us to inject more personality and character into the brand.

Understanding the diverse applications of the brand was important and was at the forefront of the development. From digital platforms and print materials, to exhibitions, vehicle livery and clothing YPO brand requirements existed across a broad range of executions. With this in mind we prioritised versatility. This approach ensured a flexible, consistent and recognisable presence across multiple formats.

Imagery was a key factor in adding personality to the brand. We created a guide for all image composition, that focused on the end user. Ultimately the people who used YPOs products and services were the most important individuals. This use of styling gave the brand more even relevance and authenticity in its communication and messaging.

While the brief was to create an externally focused brand identity, the internal audience at YPO was also important. We created a set of simplified guidelines, which were easy to follow and included plenty of examples of the revised brand and also a clear rationale around how and why the new brand asset should be used.