Family Matters.

Persuading a longstanding social service brand to adapt to a digital world.

Team output

Brand identity
Brand guidelines
Web strategy
Web design
Web development

Personal contributions

Brand strategy
Brand guidelines
Tagline
Storyboard
Web strategy

Situation.

The family unit is changing. Families increasingly expect to know more about social services over digital channels rather than in-person.

This NGO needed to refresh its image, upgrade its website and put the traditional strength and support of families back into Hongkongers' minds.

Insight.

This NGO started in the 1940s. It's seen a lot of change. But bringing paper- and person-led services kicking and screaming into the 21st century can feel insurmountable. The justification for change wasn't initially well understood across the NGO.

The NGO's brand needed to resonate with Hong Kong's shifting family demographics. Not all their service users speak Cantonese well or have a stereotypical nuclear family structure.

The agency had long supported the NGO on advertising campaigns and sales materials to create positive change. But to persuade the NGO about the brand upgrade, we had to make the case for change.

Strategy.

First, a storyboard to project how the NGO could attract more families in the future. I wrote and illustrated a cartoon strip of a mother discovering the NGO's services through advertising, contact centres and an improved connection between website and services.

This helped the board understand their brand and business through the eyes of their users and the urge to change.

I created a brand model to define key aspects of the updated brand, underpinned by the DNA and tagline – Family Matters.

Creative.

The dual Chinese/English tagline inspired a symbolic logo comprising a circle, heart and home to express the brand's warm personality and offering. These components formed the building blocks of a flexible and playful brand identity system.

The NGO underwent an extensive website update. I wrote a new sitemap and made recommendations on future upkeep, including adding an advice section to answer common queries about family matters.

Meanwhile, our team planned and supported the new brand's introduction to colleagues and volunteers by directing videos for their newsletters featuring a key member of their C-suite to announce the change.

Our team led a session with their comms department for how to use the brand guidelines, and one with the wider team to unveil and explain the new brand messaging and identity.

Outcome.

Internal buy-in. By strategically supporting internal communications and making the NGO's employees aware of the rebrand and its importance before its offical launch, this helped everyone warm to change and make the rebrand positive.
Making a moment. The new brand launch coincided with the NGO's 70th anniversary. The rebrand represented a positive and momentous milestone to help the NGO look to its future.
New products, new services. The phrase "Family Matters" lives on, inspiring other initiatives across the NGO their teams develop.