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 1. News
 2. Graphic Design




BEHIND THE RSPCA'S 50-YEAR REBRAND

By Jon Stapley
published 16 April 2024

We speak to the people behind the triumphant brand refresh of the RSPCA.

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(Image credit: RSPCA/JKR)


It’s always an event when a legacy brand embarks on a visual shake-up. Last
week, the design world was aflutter when the RSPCA announced the first major
redesign of its branding since the 1970s. As the organisation celebrates its
200th anniversary, it looks to the future with a modern, forward-facing brand
identity that’s brimming with creative energy and purpose – reflecting the
increased urgency of the charity’s mission as ecological destruction continues
apace.



The RSPCA is, of course, a charity that advocates for the rights and welfare of
animals, and as such, animals are the cornerstone of this rebrand. The central
piece is a new logo, which is really multiple logos at once (not even the best
logos can make that claim). An octagonal shape similar to a British postage
stamp – a nod both to royal heritage and the charity’s previous logo – is used
to enclose a series of simple and distinctive illustrations of different kinds
of animals. 



The new animal illustrations for the RSPCA rebrand. (Image credit: RSPCA/JKR)

From cats and dogs to iguanas and hedgehogs, the logo and its illustrations
exemplify the charity’s creative purpose for the twenty-first century – to
inspire people to join in creating a better world for all animals. These logos
are used with and without a new distinctive typography, creating a malleable
brand identity that can be used in all sorts of different contexts.





Making all this happen was a huge task in itself. The RSPCA, aware that its
brand needed a refresh, had reached out to global branding agency Jones Knowles
Ritchie (JKR) for help with the challenge of updating its identity for a new era
of fighting for animal rights. We spoke to some of the team behind the reband to
learn more about how it all came together.

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REBRANDING THE RSPCA

"Taking on any legacy rebrand – especially one that has as much heritage as the
RSPCA – is always nerve-racking. But it’s a huge creative opportunity too," says
Ellen Moriarty, Design Director at JKR, speaking to Creative Bloq. "We had 200
years to draw on, while also thinking about what we needed to create for the
next 200 years. Some elements we knew we would need to evolve – like the logo –
but there were also a lot of distinctive areas to build on."



It helped that the RSPCA themselves proved to be something of a dream client –
the charity was well aware its branding was long overdue for a change, having
been basically untouched since the 1970s. Moriarty says this made for an
enjoyably collaborative process, with both sides holding each other to account.
The JKR designers also threw themselves into the world of the RSPCA, visiting
farms, touring wildlife centres and witnessing animal rescues alongside the
charity’s officers.



Hands-on experience helped the team think about different contexts in which the
new brand would need to work. (Image credit: RSPCA/JKR)

"This extensive and hands-on process grounded us," says Ellen. "It reinforced
that this went way beyond the creation of a new logo. It was about crafting an
identity that would serve and inspire all the people engaged in the amazing work
of the RSPCA. It made it feel real and enabled us to see how important this
process was and the impact it would have."


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Policy and are aged 16 or over.

This particularly helped with crafting the all-important illustrations. While
the designs needed to be simple and striking, they also needed to show animals
that were happy and healthy, as part of the charity’s positive vision of a
better future for animals. Spending time with RSPCA vets proved hugely
influential in terms of crafting not just the look of these drawings, but also
how they would move in the distinctive animations that give the new branding
such playful character.

Also key were the new colours for the brand: Rabbit White, Lizard Green,
Butterfly Blue, Fox Red, Swallow Blue, and of course, RSPCA Blue. According to
Ellen, the key to developing these often lay in delving into the RSPCA’s
extensive archives of designs, photographs and printed materials. "This
exploration served as a guide, ensuring that our work remained loyal to the
organisation’s legacy," she says. "In fact, a book published celebrating their
centenary [in 1924] was the inspiration behind the new shade of electric blue."



A vintage shade of blue inspires a modern look. (Image credit: RSPCA/JKR)


THE TYPEFACE

A significant aspect of the rebrand was nailing a new typeface. For this the
team at JKR approached typography specialists Studio DRAMA, proposing that the
two agencies should work together on creating a new typeface that could support
the RSPCA into the future. However, on accepting the brief, the team at Studio
DRAMA realised that the key would be looking into the past.

"We started by looking back to move forward, taking inspiration from the
organisation’s rich archives," explains Chris Nott, co-founder and creative
director at Studio DRAMA. ‘The typeface draws inspiration from the classic
British grotesque typeface classification and woodblock typography. Stephenson
Blake’s Grotesque No.9 was a core inspiration, evoking characterful enclosed
terminals and apertures reminiscent of old RSPCA wordmarks and signage.’



The new typeface needed to work seamlessly with other elements of the branding.
(Image credit: RSPCA/JKR/Studio DRAMA)

The final typeface also draws influence from the RSPCA’s more radical history as
an organisation for activism, protest and fighting for animal welfare. The team
looked at protest signage, drawing on the handmade lettering of protestors to
influence the design. "This felt like a natural source of inspiration," says
Nott.

For the final tweaks, it was all about making sure everything was working in
harmony and the typeface complemented the new illustrations. ‘We worked closely
with the JKR creative team to build common characteristics like soft ink traps
and blunt detailing,’ Nott says. ‘This enabled the typeface to pair seamlessly
within the toolkit.’

The final typeface is named Wilberforce Sans – a hat-tip to William Wilberforce,
British politician and abolitionist. In 1824, Wilberforce was a founding member
of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which in 1840 would
gain the patronage of Queen Victoria and become the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or RSPCA as it still is today.



The finished typography. (Image credit: RSPCA/JKR/Studio DRAMA)


FOR EVERY KIND

The new brand identity is launching alongside a full campaign promoting the new
ethos of ‘For Every Kind’ – the idea that every animal, of every kind, is worthy
of respect and protection. The RSPCA developed this campaign in partnership with
advertising agency AMV BBDO, and it kicks off with a two-minute film from Raine
Allen Miller, director of Rye Lane, which you can watch below:



To learn more about the RSPCA’s ‘For Every Kind’ campaign, visit
rspca.org.uk/foreverykind. Our thanks to JKR Global and Studio Drama for their
help with this story.



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Jon Stapley
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Jon is a freelance writer and journalist who covers photography, art,
technology, and the intersection of all three. When he's not scouting out news
on the latest gadgets, he likes to play around with film cameras that were
manufactured before he was born. To that end, he never goes anywhere without his
Olympus XA2, loaded with a fresh roll of Kodak (Gold 200 is the best, since you
asked). Jon is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq, and has also written for
in Digital Camera World, Black + White Photography Magazine, Photomonitor,
Outdoor Photography, Shortlist and probably a few others he's forgetting. 


TOPICS
Branding
Logo
Creativity
graphic design

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