Battersea
Battersea
A much-loved charity that cares for dogs and cats in Britain and beyond. Established in 1860, Battersea has gone from one home in London to three rescuing and rehoming centres around the country, caring for over three million pets in need, the charity has been growing in size and ambition.
Working closely with the charity to develop a brand strategy, tone of voice and visual identity that presents Battersea as both a compassionate caregiver and a leading authority in animal welfare. Emphasising the charity’s commitment to unconditionally care for all dogs and cats, the brand line was created: ‘Here for every dog and cat.’
“Battersea last updated its brand in 2005 when we incorporated ‘cats’ into our name and logo. We felt it was time to review how we connect with our audiences and bring people’s understanding of Battersea up to date.”
Battersea
Studio
Created as part of Team Willer at Pentagram
Deliverables
Brand Strategy
Tone of voice
Visual Identity
Brand Architecture
Type Design
Design System
Art Direction
Guidelines and toolkits
Guardianship
Measurables
35% increase of online donations
50% more online shop visits
Entered Top 10 UK Charity Awareness Ranking
Opportunity
The approach was to strike out against some of the negative connotations associated with the language and tactics of the charity sector, which often leans into a world of shock tactics, euphemistic language, well-worn tropes and overly-sentimental language. Instead, using honest and straightforward language, expressed by a tone of voice that speaks with joy, principles, expertise and endeavour.
The visual identity uses a “family” of hand-drawn watercolour illustrations, appealing to people’s compassion and humanity. Devoid of facial features, the characters retain a strong sense of individuality: celebrating the diverse range of personalities found among Battersea’s dogs and cats. The wordmark acts as a juxtaposition to the illustrations, adding an element of authority to the visual identity.
Art direction
A new suite of photography to compliment the brand’s visual identity and tone of voice was commissioned. Art directing all of the three shoots, each was stylistically different and therefore taken by a different photographer; from in the studio capturing the personalities and individual characters. To at home, seeing the natural, candid moments which demonstrate a real connection between pets and their new owners.
Flexibility
A key focus was to ensure the brand could flex and adapt based on the audience, especially Battersea’s public-facing programmes and fundraising initiatives, which lean into the joyful part of the brand personality. This was supported with a playful hand-drawn typeface, ‘Battersea Paws’, to represent these initiatives.
“From our own research we know that whilst many people have heard of our charity, they often have an out of date perception of us, and what we do. Like most animal rescue charities, we’re aware that the way people are finding and buying pets is changing and as increasingly people choose to go online to find their next pet we need to stand out and communicate effectively in a digital world.”
Battersea
Initiatives
‘Muddy Dog’, is one of Battersea’s larger initiatives, an obstacle course that you can take on with your dog by your side. Taking a playful spin on the master identity and using tongue-in-cheek headlines in the custom typeface to engage with its audience in a more energetic tonality.
