Barnardo’s

Transforming the UK’s largest children’s charity at a critical time for children, young people and families

Barnardo’s has been supporting children, young people and their families for 150 years. The charity is a significant part of the UK’s culture, with 600+ high-street charity shops, 800+ specialist services in communities across all four nations and influence in the rooms where national decisions are made.

Childhoods today are being shaped by the cost-of-living crisis, the lasting effects of the pandemic and the fact that life is increasingly taking place online. Millions of children and young people feel socially isolated, anxious about the world they live in, and more than ever are growing up disadvantaged.

We set out to create a brand where every child could feel like they belong. So, we created the new brand with them – for them. It’s designed to do exactly what Barnardo’s as an organisation does – and help them feel safer, happier, healthier and more hopeful – whatever their background or circumstances.

We co-created the brand with kids using Barnardo’s services in Wales, Scotland and England. We gave them paints, pens and coloured paper to express things they’ve been going through and how it made them feel. Then we asked them to draw the first letter of their name in the same way too.

The logo is a visual metaphor for a safe space where everyone can express whatever they’re feeling. Each letter captures a different emotion, held within the ‘safe space’ of the holding device.

The shapes, full of character and emotion, became a suite of graphic devices. The letters became the bespoke typeface for the brand, and formed the basis of the logo. Each letter represents a different emotion – some positive and some negative – confident, sad, angry, silly, excited, stressed, loved and much more.

STUDIO

The Clearing

TEAM

Pete Dewar
Jonathan Hubbard
Piyush Aggarwal
Hope Lowe
Will Bedale
Lizzie Adam
Ollie Bielby-Smith
Rose Allert
Sophie Martin

Alec Tear
Will Baldock
NaN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR (LANGUAGE)
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
STRATEGY DIRECTOR
BRAND LANGUAGE DIRECTOR
CLIENT SERVICES DIRECTOR
SENIOR DESIGNER
DESIGNER + MOTION
WRITER
ACCOUNT MANAGER

LOGO DESIGN
LOGO ANIMATION
TYPE DESIGN

AWARDS

Transform – Visual Property (Gold)
Transform – Typography (Silver)
Transform – Identity (Bronze)

PRESS

Creative Review
BP&O
Brand New

Ollie Bielby-Smith Barnardo’s Vacherin Moa Technology FDM Play Typefaces About Get in touch

Ollie Bielby-Smith

Barnardo’s
Vacherin
Moa Technology
FDM

Play

Typefaces

About
Get in touch