This week sees the launch of our new logo and brand and we took a few minutes to talk to Daniel our CEO about the new look.
Can you tell us about how the new look and rebrand came about?
Last summer we engaged with local LGBTQ people through the ‘Your Switchboard Needs You Campaign’. It was a great opportunity to get a better understanding of the needs of the local LGBTQ communities and identify ways we can support them. We discovered that whilst many people had heard of us and had a good impression of us, people didn’t have a sense of what we did, and thought that we were just a helpline.
So why the rebrand?
It was clear to us from what the community said that the old brand was outdated and focused solely on the helpline. The old brand had served us well, but we needed a more modern and refined look to meet the needs of our evolving and growing charity.
We wanted a brand that could work across the wide variety of our services – from the helpline to our health and inclusion project, from our support of those 50+ and of those living with dementia to our LGBTQ disability work. The new look is also designed to work well across the digital platforms where we’re helping people every single day.
Why not change the name?
We thought long and hard about changing the name but it was also clear, from what the community told us that people recognise and trust the Switchboard name. We have been around for 40 years and we didn’t want to lose that and the heritage of the name. For the LGBTQ community the Switchboard name is nearly as synonymous to Brighton and Hove as fish and chips and the piers!
Including the ‘Q’!
We know that this is something that causes much debate and we understand the reasons why. We have included the ‘Q’ as a large number of those responding to the ‘Your Switchboard Needs You Campaign’ wanted us too. Queer is an identity used by a growing number of people in the LGBTQ communities in the City and we wanted this to be reflected in our tag-line.
How was the ‘new look’ created?
With dwindling budgets, we wanted to ensure this rebrand was done in the most cost-effective way. It was done by a dedicated and hardworking volunteer who collaborated with us to come up with this new brand for the charity. They gave their valuable time to us for free. We are very grateful to them and the many other volunteers who are integral in helping Switchboard provide the valued support to our communities.
What next?
We are confident that the new look will help us tell our story in a clearer way and highlight that Switchboard is a charity for LGBTQ people looking for a sense of community, support or information. We connect people and support them directly through specially developed Switchboard services or link them to other organisations.