A Refreshing Design for The Parent House

 

Design agency Ellipsis is offering a different cause a complete brand makeover for each month of our Year of Great Marketing Karma. Here are the results of their second intervention in support of The Parent House. We are still accepting applications, so if you would like your cause to be considered for a brand makeover please read this post.

The view from Ellipsis by Catherine Hampshire:

The design request
The original Parent House logo had been designed when the charity started over 13 years ago using a child's simple illustration. This was recognised and liked, so the essence of this original design was retained in the design process.

New logo for The Parent House

The solution
From the outset it was apparent that the services offered by The Parent House were varied but all sought to create opportunities for the parents. Our initial design development focused on creating a strapline which conveyed this message. Working with the house icon, we designed a selection of logos that used a friendly hand-drawn style alongside the text. The simpler marks were preferred, especially the house with an open door and initials.

The result
After the ideas were shown to the parents and trustees, the hand drawn house logo was approved. Combining the icon with the name and strapline 'opening doors for you' created a new, refreshed and modern identity for The Parent House. A bright, welcoming cyan blue was chosen as the colour accent.

New business cards for The Parent House

Response from The Parent House by Gina Camputaro:
The Parent House is a charity based in Islington, which aims to improve the aspirations and lives of parents and carers who are at risk of exclusion and isolation. We have been supporting parents and carers since 2000. We provide one to one support, bespoke training, mentoring and an ofsted registered crèche. We have been looking at our marketing and how we communicate our cause to both our clients and funders. Being a small charity, we tend to be busy working directly with parents and never have the time or skills to focus on this. We applied to Pimp My Cause and were quickly contacted and offered support.

I met with Catherine and Laura, who showed an interest in our project. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they were very clear about what they could offer and the timescales within which they would work. I was impressed with their professionalism and how clearly they followed the plan that they had laid out. They initially proposed several alternative creative directions and we gave feedback. They paid real attention to our feedback and were passionate about creating something that we would like.

The process was efficient and the result is a new brand look. We are really impressed with Ellipsis. Having matching letterheads, business cards etc, is all very new to us. We are looking forward to launching it and we are very happy with the result.