SkillsShare
Client
FareShare Midlands
Services
Brand architecture consultancy
Visual branding
Style guidelines
Graphic design
Icons / Illustration
SkillsShare is a growing FareShare Midlands offer, providing personal development programmes to support the long-term unemployed and economically inactive on their journey into work. A wrap around service of advice, mentoring, wellbeing and confidence building, training, work experience opportunities in their FareShare warehousing and logistics as well access to local job opportunities.
They had a name, SkillsShare, but it had no visual identity to be a consistent umbrella for a variety of programmes and that could be used raise their profile. The first thing to establish was how SkillsShare should sit within the parent FareShare Midlands brand and defining the approach to the identity.
The logo took a sub-brand approach because the share values, vision and audiences with FSM parent brand bringing a lot of equity to this new identity. The 'SS' of SkillsShare becomes a lock-up at the heart of the logo, inspired by an upward spiral and a linking chain of user's development.
This large suite of graphic assets is informed by the keywords SkillsShare team used to describe their work. It includes a bright, vibrant and confident colour palette and photography is focused on authentic, candid moments.
Hand drawn ‘doodle marks’ bring an element of fun and human touch to the visual identity. Each doodle is suggestive of progression, positivity and encouragement. Geometric patterns are a nod to professionalism without being corporate.
This set of eight bespoke icons illustrate the key benefits and outcomes gained from completing SkillsShare’s development programmes. They used the same hand drawn style of the doodle marks and a ready-made accessible and engaging way to highlight the goals in any SkillsShare programme.
Style guidelines are an essential part in creating and maintaining a strong identity. They ensure a cohesive and consistent approach across all touchpoints and marketing materials, whether online or offline.
Also enabling efficient production and collaboration between designers, marketing and any content producer at all levels within the SkillsShare team.
"Debbie took the time to deeply understand what we needed from the new brand, guiding us through a thoughtful process that made us reflect on our goals. She presented a range of excellent suggestions, making it easy for us to settle on the final design. Beyond the brand itself, Debbie also developed a suite of versatile graphics that beautifully complement our programmes.