Strengthening our Voice

The Brand Project Group told us about how and why we’ve changed the way we look and talk, and why it’s so important for refugees.

Four women are standing in a well-lit room with large windows. The first woman on the left, wearing a stylish black and white jacket, is smiling. The second woman, in a gray sweater, has curly hair and appears to be listening attentively. The third woman,

The unrest in British towns last summer highlighted the urgent need to bridge divides and engage those who are still forming their opinions on refugees. With a significant one-off legacy donation, we took the opportunity to rethink our presentation.

We hadn’t changed our look and feel since the 1990s, and it no longer represented who we are. Research conducted in 2024 showed that we looked dated, not like a charity, and not very warm or welcoming.

Our aim was to connect with people who might not currently support refugees while remaining true to the people we serve. We realized that the only way forward was to involve refugees and members of the public to help shape our new identity.

Refugee Involvement

We established three refugee-led teams:

  • A project team collaborating with senior staff on key decisions.
  • A community group generating ideas and providing feedback.
  • A creative team responsible for designing visuals, including hand-crafted lino-cut illustrations.

Public Engagement

We collaborated with experts in opinion change to research attitudes across England. The conversations were often challenging, but we knew that we needed to listen and help refugees be seen as people first, rather than headlines.

Connecting Across Divides

Our new look and feel are rooted in points of agreement between refugees and the people we need to reach:

  • People who have fled war and persecution deserve to be safe.
  • Integration is essential to build happy, connected and strong communities.
  • We all have a part to play in our communities. We all have something special to contribute.

Our new logo and how we look and talk is designed to help us ensure that refugees feel safe and are able to fully integrate and thrive within their communities.

A man with a beard is focused on a crafting project at a table. He is using a tool to carve or etch a design onto a dark piece of material. The setting appears to be a workshop or classroom, with various supplies visible in the background.
Shams
Mays