Design studio Need creates uplifting brand for a social enterprise aiding refugee women

Need, founded only last year, is an emerging strategic design practice based in Glasgow. They’ve been hard at work helping a Scottish social enterprise rebrand themselves with a focus on warmth and joy. Founded by Helen Russell in 2019, Rise is teaching practical skills to refugee women. From qualifications in food hygiene to writing CVs and real customer service, the enterprise hopes to knock down employment barriers.

In order to uplift Rise’s public perception and inject warmth, Need aimed to update the brand’s tone of voice through the website, marketing material and a range of digital assets. According to the studio, they wanted to avoid “the trap of taking a soft approach to social enterprise.” In turn, the team found inspiration in the activism of the Suffragette movement, designing an identity which reflects bold, eye-catching signage and the idea of community.

The rebrand features a “call to arms that centres around equipping, enabling and empowering” via a bold typeface based on protest posters, held up against a bright colour palette which hopes to invoke both strength and a touch of playfulness.

The team at Rise seeks to not only improve career opportunities for at-risk women, but hopes to create a “cultural melting pot” of food for Scotland. They share global recipes and dishes and hold events at cafes as well as their own supper clubs.

As charity partners for the year, Need claims its work for the charity, “wasn’t about slapping logos onto things – it was about functional design that got them results.” Easy-to-use, long-lasting and budget-friendly outputs were therefore necessary to make the charity’s digital presence last. Need collaborated with the charity following their focus on working with “cultural clients who do good in the world.”

According to the studio and the charity, the results from the rebranding campaign were immediate. The enterprise has received over £35,000 of funding, a triple in social media engagement and website traffic, boosting positive feedback from the community, and long-term digital sustainability for the team.