Switchboard LGBTQIA+ support line gets a 50th anniversary rebrand

A batch has changed for nan LGBTQIA+ organization successful nan past 50 years – not slightest nan summation of immoderate letters to that acronym.

But nan Switchboard support statement has been location for 5 decades, helping group find an knowing receptor astatine immoderate constituent connected their travel pinch sexuality and gender identity.

So London-based Nice and Serious was capable to look backmost astatine nan charity's activity since its inception successful 1974 to tie inspiration erstwhile Switchboard decided connected a rebrand to people nan milestone.

Built astir nan thought of creating 'space for each conversation', nan caller marque positions Switchboard arsenic a welcoming abstraction for anyone successful nan extended LGBTQIA+ organization to talk astir immoderate is connected their mind.

Harriet Kindleysides, elder strategist astatine Nice and Serious, says: "We developed a task process built astir bringing together arsenic galore perspectives arsenic imaginable to create a marque which feels some existent to nan Switchboard acquisition and applicable for nan wider community.

"This included group who place arsenic LGBTQIA+ from crossed nan Switchboard team, their volunteers, and voices from nan extended community. Together, they helped power our attack and were consulted passim nan task to fortify our work."

Nice and Serious developed a reside of sound that tin beryllium adapted for each speech and situation. It developed 3 halfway principles to let Switchboard's sound to accommodate while remaining consistent. The first is 'sensitivity', being warm, open-ended and creating abstraction for others to talk. The 2nd is 'dependable', bringing a consciousness of calm and reassurance. And nan 3rd is to beryllium 'illuminating', putting a spotlight connected hope, and stepping up pinch clarity and condemnation erstwhile needed.

The caller ocular personality references Switchboard's archives, drafting inspiration from 50 years' worthy of materials hosted astatine Bishopsgate Institute successful London. Pin badges and nan consciousness of pridefulness from wearing them were a cardinal portion of Switchboard's story. Among them, 1 badge, successful particular, inspired nan cardinal motif of nan caller creation strategy – nan reside marks that clasp nan abstraction for conversations.

Anna Barton, elder designer astatine Nice and Serious, adds: "Focusing connected nan reside marks allowed america to creation nan caller canvas for speech while honouring Switchboard's history. The logo itself takes its shape from this spot of history, pinch bespoke lettering housed successful nan abstraction betwixt nan 2 marks. The reside marks go a cardinal portion of nan brand's schematic connection – a move canvas for different moods and messages.

"Among nan different identities that Switchboard has had complete nan years, pinkish was ever a defining feature, truthful we kept this arsenic a cardinal colour to build connected this historical association. But to bespeak nan diverseness of nan changing community, we besides developed a move colour-pairing strategy inspired by nan rainbow flag. Like nan reside of voice, this allows elasticity wrong nan creation strategy – it tin beryllium soft and sensitive, arsenic good arsenic bright, proud and illuminating.

"The characteristic of nan organization came done powerfully successful nan archive materials; we wanted to support a consciousness of this tone wrong nan caller brand. In particular, nan tactile consciousness of nan aged notes and memos inspired nan usage of a typewriter typeface to support headlines."

The consequence was an open-ended illustration style to let nan marque to proceed to beryllium a abstraction for organization expression, and Switchboard intends to build connected this by collaborating pinch illustrators from nan LGBTQIA+ organization itself to build a room of marque assets.

Stephanie Fuller, CEO of Switchboard, says: "Switchboard's 50th Birthday twelvemonth provided america nan cleanable opportunity to refresh our brand. Creating a caller ocular personality that celebrates our past continues to found our relevance successful nan coming and will transportation america into Switchboard's future."