Project: rethink and redesign the Ship for the World Youth -SWY- program identity (branding) and messaging.
Objective: improve the image of the program for the public (which would help it in overcoming difficulties) and its communication strategy.
*Disclaimer: this is a personal project and may not reflect the future of SWY or any other Cabinet Office program.
The Problem
The identity and branding of the SWY program do not live up to the image an endeavor of this scale should be showing, giving it a contradictory public image and a doubtful -so to speak- reputation.
The program is relatively unknown to the people outside of a close circle (Ex-participants, administration personnel, and such).
The present communication strategy (messaging) does not help in solving this, and gives away a wrong first impression to the people who might get to know about this effort for a first time. The fact that the general public is unaware of the program, its inner workings and benefits, reflects in budget cuts and several difficulties for the people involved in it.
The current logo is based on the I Love New York logo, made by Milton Glaser in the 70’s. Being a derivative work, it does not fulfill its function right, because it was not originally tailored exclusively for SWY.
The power of a well made identity is not to be underestimated, as it would help the program in showing what is it about better, giving it a hand in overcoming some of the aforementioned difficulties.
The New SWY
The new identity does not shed the past entirely, though. It retains its colors, basically inspired by Japan’s national flag’s colors.
Logo Application
Communication Campaign
SWY should communicate in a bold and somewhat ‘intriguing’ way, almost something taken out of fiction writing. Capable of conveying the right message, but also able to awake the spectator’s curiosity, so that he may take action and do some research in order to find out more regarding this project.
Such strategy would translate in a bigger knowledge, by the general population, about this opportunity, its purpose, effects and benefits.
The main phrase coined for this effect, one that would encase the objectives as well as the possibilities of SWY is:
bring on the future
It would be accompanied by a specially tailored web address, to compliment the message, and to which the general public would refer to, in order to find more about the program:
www.swyforthefuture.org
Communication Campaign Style
Campaign Application
Thanks for reading. Comments, questions and feedback are greatly welcome