Creative agency me&dave gives homeless charity Robes a compassionate rebrand

Robes is a charity that aims to aid the homeless population of the London borough of Southwark. Its volunteers spend eight months of the year campaigning and raising money to provide shelter during the harsh winter weeks but currently lack a big financial backer, who’d be able to — partially, at least — underwrite the costs of the life-saving work it conducts in south London. To help with that, creative agency me&dave has worked with Robes on a visual and strategic overhaul.

Mark Davis, creative director at me&dave notes that for the studio’s 10th birthday it wanted to donate its time and expertise to a charitable organisation. Given that Robes are near neighbours, the collaboration seemed like a good fit: “Our work sees us focus on high-end real estate, so to help a charity that works tirelessly with people at the other end of the scale seemed like the right fit,” Mark says.

He goes on to add that, “Initially we approached Robes offering to help with its supported housing initiative, which aims to enable those who find themselves homeless to access rented accommodation,” but in the end, Robes asked for the reinvention of their brand strategy.

This reinvention includes a visual overhaul, seeing the implementation of both a new logo and a soft approach to type. Said new logo, which features a yellow linework house that cleverly doubles up as a speech bubble, intends to display that while the charity provides shelter, but also displays how the beginning of lifting someone out of homelessness starts with a chat. The soft font and warm palette, in me&dave’s words, “express the ‘human’ nature of the charity and bring a sense of compassion and unity to the brand.”

George Martin, Robes’ chair of trustees, says of the rebrand: “me&dave has done a brilliant and imaginative job of rebranding robes, communicating clearly what our organisation is all about." He adds, "the approach is modern, eye-catching and has real depth and meaning. We’re so grateful for the help – it goes a long way with a small charity like ours and will have a positive impact on the lives of homeless people.”