FUTURES — Unfound Studio

Tearfund Futures Rebrand:

Ready to Shape What's Next Through Global Change.

Sectors: Charity, NGO

Services:

Category Benchmarks, Naming & Cultural Framing
Visual Identity; Logo, Typeface, Graphic Style, Motion & More
Verbal Identity; Tone Of Voice, Brand Tags & More
Motion Design, Content Creation

Understanding the Brief

Global charity, Tearfund, had set themselves an ambitious mission to end extreme poverty. With the help of their sub-brand, We Are Tearfund, they were aiming to bridge the gap between young people in the UK (age 11-25) and donations to global charities.

The team understood that young people of today are more ethically open to change-driven organisations. With services that offer many ways to engage, the We Are Tearfund brand needed to be more relevant to drive donations and engagement - it had to connect to right now, for the future.

Finding the Unfound

With positive change at the core of their organisation, the We Are Tearfund team were open to a new name, voice, and visual identity - all designed to encourage a generation to give what they could to the causes already on their minds. Speaking directly to the brand's optimistic role in the world and the Tearfund ecosystem, the new name, Futures, instantly takes the focus off Tearfund and onto what's next.

For Futures to truly resonate it had feel new and ever-alive, while anchored by an approach or theme that could stand the test of time. Avoiding generational conventions meant balancing relevance with longevity. It's tone expresses immediacy and action without fearmongering, supported by a visual identity that plugs into the lifestyles of digitally-native young people.

Under the Surface

The brand needed to connect with young people through stories and action that are happening right now, communicating the positive futures they can help to shape. This was a direct move away from the stark images portrayed in poverty campaigns of yesteryear.

Because doom and gloom doesn't rally action for today's young people today - they don't need to be educated on the need for change, they've grown up with it. Instead, they need to know exactly where to focus their energy and resources.

Digital-first elements such as cursors and tags reference connection, while the tone of voice works to keep faith moving through a balance of hope and grit. Graphic portals reveal the work already happening, highlighting Tearfund's global change initiatives in real time, and everyone can get involved to support that.

Unearthing Value

The state of the world means young people are more aware of social good and the needs of the world than any previous generation. For this brand to resonate it had to show up in the channels of its audience and lower the barrier for them to advocate.

Futures feels always-on and ready to jump into action in a way that's not pushy. It's not about always asking people to give money, but instead prompts them to engage, inspire and support positive global change. The visual and verbal identity is non-stop, optimistic and pushes into a fearless readiness required to make a real difference. Because a world that won't wait needs people to write what's next.