Sparks Project – Charity & Community Brand Development
Sparks Project began as a three-year initiative created to support people living in Barrowcliff, a community in Scarborough where many residents were facing difficult circumstances and struggling to access the support they needed.
Funded by Barrowcliff Big Local and the European Social Fund, Sparks launched in 2018 and continued supporting vulnerable residents throughout the pandemic. Following the success and growing importance of the organisation, Sparks Project became a registered charity, creating a long-term future for its work within the community.
Fitzpatrick Design was asked to develop a more professional and distinctive brand identity for Sparks, helping the organisation communicate its purpose with confidence and present itself effectively to funders, partners, supporters and the wider community.
SERVICES PROVIDED
Charity Branding
Brand Development
Brand Identity
Rebranding
Graphic Design
Creative Concept Development
Campaign Design
Annual Report Design
Printed Communications
Digital Design
Marketing Support
Community Organisation Branding
THE BRIEF
Sparks Project had grown significantly from its beginnings as a local community initiative and needed its visual identity to reflect the scale, professionalism and importance of the work it was undertaking.
The existing project needed to evolve into a stronger, more cohesive brand that could communicate effectively with a wider range of audiences.
The new identity needed to work for the organisation itself while also being practical across fundraising, community communications, printed materials, reports, clothing, signage and digital applications.
Most importantly, the brand needed to feel approachable and human while giving Sparks the professional credibility required when communicating with funders and potential partners.
THE CREATIVE APPROACH
The creative approach began by understanding what Sparks actually does, who it supports and what makes the organisation important to the Barrowcliff community.
Rather than creating a corporate identity that felt disconnected from the people behind the organisation, the aim was to develop a brand that combined professionalism with warmth, accessibility and personality.
The identity was then developed across a range of practical applications, demonstrating how the new brand could work consistently across different communications and everyday touchpoints.
From stationery and reports to clothing, banners and digital applications, each element was designed to reinforce the same clear and recognisable visual identity.
CHARITY BRANDING & COMMUNITY ORGANISATION DESIGN
Charities and community organisations need to communicate with many different audiences.
They need to engage the people they support, build relationships with funders and partners, communicate with volunteers and stakeholders, and often compete for attention in a crowded fundraising environment.
A strong visual identity can help bring those communications together, making an organisation easier to recognise while giving its messages greater clarity and consistency.
For Sparks Project, the new identity provided a more professional visual foundation that could grow alongside the organisation and support its increasingly important role within the community.
BRAND IDENTITY ACROSS EVERY TOUCHPOINT
The new Sparks identity was developed to be practical as well as distinctive.
Applications included branded clothing, stationery, reports, banners, business cards and digital communications, allowing the organisation to present a consistent visual identity across both formal and informal communications.
This flexibility was particularly important for a community organisation whose communications needed to work equally well in professional fundraising environments and within the local community.
THE RESULT
The rebrand gave Sparks Project a stronger and more professional visual identity that better reflected the organisation and the important work it carries out.
The new brand created a consistent foundation for communications across print, digital, reports, clothing, signage and community-facing materials.
Most importantly, it gave Sparks the confidence to present itself professionally when approaching funders and potential partners, while retaining the approachable and human character that is central to its work.
DESIGN FOR CHARITIES & ORGANISATIONS
Fitzpatrick Design works with charities, community organisations and purpose-led businesses to create brands that communicate clearly and connect with the people they need to reach.
From complete rebrands and brand identity development to campaign design, reports, printed communications and digital content, we create practical visual systems that can work across the full range of an organisation's communications.
A LONG-TERM APPROACH TO ORGANISATIONAL BRANDING
A successful charity or community brand needs to be more than a new logo.
It needs to provide a consistent visual language that can be applied by staff, volunteers, suppliers and creative partners across different communications and campaigns.
Our approach is to create brand identities that are distinctive, practical and flexible, supported by clear guidelines and the right range of assets to make consistent implementation straightforward.
"IT was such a pleasure working with fitzpatrick design on our rebrand. They took the time to understand the amazing and challenging work we do and have really hit the spot with their transformative, creative ideas. i wholeheartedly recommend!”
MICHAEL WHITELEY | Trustee Sparks Project
LOOKING FOR CHARITY OR COMMUNITY BRANDING?
Whether you're establishing a new charity, rebranding an existing organisation or developing a campaign for a community initiative, Fitzpatrick Design can help create a clear and distinctive visual identity.
We work with charities, community organisations and purpose-led businesses across brand development, graphic design, campaign design, reports, print, digital communications and ongoing creative support.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. We work with charities and community organisations to develop professional, distinctive brands that communicate their purpose and connect with funders, supporters, stakeholders and the communities they serve.
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Yes. A rebrand can help an established organisation bring its visual identity in line with its current purpose, audience and ambitions without losing the recognition and values it has already built.
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Depending on the project, charity branding can include brand strategy, identity design, visual language, brand guidelines, campaign design, annual reports, printed communications, digital design and ongoing creative support.
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Yes. We can develop annual reports, fundraising materials, campaign communications and other printed or digital materials that use the organisation's visual identity consistently.
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A clear and consistent visual identity can help a charity communicate its purpose professionally across different audiences, from the people it supports to funders, partners, volunteers and stakeholders.