The 200-year-old RSPCA, a UK animal welfare group, lately unveiled its new id with the launch marketing campaign “For Each Form.” JKR‘s London group created the brand new id, which incorporates a vibrant shade palette, flexibility to be used in digital areas, and an enthralling illustration type.
The brand new id additionally options Wilberforce Sans, a customized typeface designed in collaboration with Studio DRAMA.
Studio DRAMA’s Chris Nott (inventive director) and Will Richardson (co-founder and artistic director) drew inspiration from the RSPCA’s historical past of activism, particularly protest signage within the group’s archives. The typeface bought its identify from this historical past: one in all RSPCA’s founding members was the good abolitionist William Wilberforce. Nott and Richardson additionally needed to invoke a unique type of provenance— the nation’s Grotesque typographic custom. For Wilberforce Sans, the group added a number of distinctive deviations. Refined stroke-weight contrasts ship a hand-drawn high quality, whereas ligatures embody togetherness and group.
Not desirous to draw back from the model’s 200-year-old heritage, the bespoke font [designed in collaboration with Studio DRAMA] takes cues from protest placards discovered within the model’s archive, designed to essentially get everybody to hitch the motion, and options echoes of the brand new illustration type.
Ellen Moriarity, Design Director, JKR
One of many extra fascinating facets of Wilberforce Sans is that it really works in live performance with the brand new id’s illustrated animal iconography. The Studio DRAMA group designed the typeface with gentle ink traps that join it to the accompanying animal icons, each visually and in its character.
Borrowing from the RSPCA’s previous brand, the “Octopunct” form surrounding the phrase mark has been turned into punctuation and containers for the animal illustrations.
I used to be curious to get Studio DRAMA’s perspective on this challenge and extra. My brief Q&A with Chris Nott is beneath.
The RSPCA’s previous model has advanced from staid and considerably chilly right into a daring and pleasant id. How does Wilberforce Sans assist the bigger model talk the urgency of the difficulty whereas additionally inviting individuals in?
Kind performs an important function in shaping a model’s voice, enabling it to speak successfully with numerous audiences. For the RSPCA, the problem for us was to craft a typeface that might convey each lighthearted and critical messaging, capturing the essence of their new positioning: ‘Rallying Humanity for Animals’.
The temporary led us to the idea of a ‘Trusted Authoritarian’ voice. To delve deeper into this, we explored the typographic nuances of hand-drawn and woodblock printed protest placards and posters. Given the RSPCA’s wealthy historical past of activism and advocacy for animal welfare, this path felt each pure and apt.
Our analysis into the RSPCA’s model archives revealed typefaces that had additionally been utilized in protest contexts. This connection enriched the model narrative, making a stronger hyperlink between the RSPCA’s historic activism and its present branding.
A key side of our design method was establishing two distinct typographic voices.
The first voice for the core model id is predominantly uppercase, reflecting the model’s daring, impactful, and pressing aspect. We ensured that the uppercase letterforms exuded authority via their daring and condensed construction, reinforcing the model’s authoritative presence. Trustworthiness is conveyed by incorporating options impressed by the British grotesque type, reminiscent of enclosed apertures and terminals. These traits not solely add a contact of playfulness to a inflexible construction but additionally resonate with the model’s critical but approachable tone. Moreover, the softer particulars, just like the ink traps, have been impressed by the brand new illustration type, additional infusing a extra approachable and cohesive really feel.
The secondary voice was designed to seize the lighter, extra human and approachable aspect of the RSPCA. We developed a lowercase set that includes playful, virtually ‘animal-like’ characters, such because the lowercase ‘g’.
This dualistic method permits the RSPCA to speak the gravity of animal welfare points whereas additionally inviting the general public to interact and join with their mission.
A key side of our design method was establishing two distinct typographic voices. This dualistic method permits the RSPCA to speak the gravity of animal welfare points whereas additionally inviting the general public to interact and join with their mission.
Chris Nott, Artistic Director, Studio DRAMA
In the previous couple of years, we’ve seen many centuries-old establishments undertake main rebranding efforts, a lot of which lean closely on iconography and sort. Is that this merely a development? Or is there one thing extra elementary taking place across the function of establishments and types (or sort) in society?
Each Will and I’ve over a decade of expertise working in branding companies. Throughout this time, we’ve witnessed a major shift within the function of customized sort in branding, which led us to resolve that it needs to be a core providing in our personal enterprise.
We’d go as far to say that sort was usually thought-about an afterthought in branding tasks. Nonetheless, it has now moved to the forefront, reflecting the evolving significance of typography in model id.
In right this moment’s information-saturated panorama, manufacturers are striving to be extra distinctive and memorable. With the need to personal greater than only a brand, the main target has expanded to incorporate the very phrases they use. By crafting distinctive and recognisable typography, whether or not that’s via customized sort or an ownable typographic method, manufacturers can set up a powerful id that resonates even when the brand is absent.
On this context, if a model can personal the very phrases by which they impart, making them distinctive sufficient to be recognisable with out the brand, does it not change into a compelling technique to pursue?
Are you able to speak about your ethos as a companion foundry? How does this differentiate what Studio Drama does?
Either side of the studio go hand-in-hand, complementing and enriching one another.
With a background in branding, we deliver a strategic mindset to each customized typeface challenge we undertake. We not solely design typefaces but additionally perceive how they need to be utilised. As a rule, we help in creating tips on the optimum use of the typeface, whether or not it’s a single type show font or a complete tremendous household.
On the studio aspect, we goal to include some component of customized sort, whether or not that’s a bespoke logotype or mark, or a full customized typeface household.
On the foundry aspect, we deliver our brand-first method to sort design, guaranteeing that our customized typefaces usually are not solely visually compelling but additionally strategically aligned and successfully utilised.
What’s your dream companion challenge? Or, what are your favourite tasks you’ve finished on the foundry aspect (apart from working with JKR on RSPCA, in fact!)?
On the subject of dream tasks, that’s a tricky query! We’re presently within the midst of bringing one to life as we communicate…
We thrive on collaboration, particularly with different companies and artistic groups. This allows us to leverage our experience in sort design, invigorating and enhancing the broader model train. If any groups are looking out for a kind companion, simply drop us a line!
As for favorite tasks, Vogue Brasil undoubtedly stands out. It was a dream from begin to end, not solely due to the compelling temporary but additionally as a result of distinctive consumer relationship. This small however impactful challenge has opened quite a few alternatives for us. It’s superb the doorways that sort can open!
