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Ocean Community Services branding
Submitted by Sam_Departures on 31 July, 2009 - 12:38
Design Agency:
Departures®
Client:
Ocean Community Services Brief:
Independence, Empowerment and Hope – Ocean Community Services is a specialist residential mental health service. Catering for a variety of mental health needs, they offer a safe haven in which to provide individuals with the opportunity to regain their independence. Service users vary in their symptoms from behavioural disorders to acquired brain injuries. Ocean Community Services is a community based service, actively encouraging individuals to integrate back into their communities. Volunteer and part-time work, enrolling with colleges to gain qualifications and encouraging a healthy lifestyle through cycling, swimming as well as healthy eating are a few things that they encourage and help their clients with.
We were asked to rebrand the organisation and to create a suite of literature and promotional materials to use as part of their marketing which needed to appeal to both key decision makers within various Health Authorities as well as appealling to the families of the users themselves.
After presenting a number of possible solutions, the chosen direction focused on promoting the human aspect of their service instead of focusing on the homes and buildings themselves which had been done in the past – people are key to the organisation both in terms of users and staff members. Our identity was based on the human hand and the positive message conveyed by this as a symbol. A symbol of independence, empowerment, hope, individuality, choice and dignity, it also provided significant mileage and scope to utilise the hand in a number of different ways to provide the Ocean Community Services personality. Working with photographer Alan Cook, a photoshoot was undertaken to give an insight into the lives of the users, the quality of care provided and the variety of activities encouraged. These formed a visual essay within the brochure which complemented a separate section of text conveying information about various aspects of the company's work.
The result:
To date, feedback has been positive with regard to client satisfaction in creating a brand that offers both versatility and personality, overcoming complex and sensitive issues in a relevant and engaging manner. It has also succeeded in raising awareness of their services to their intended audience by differentating them from the clinical and stale brands of their competitors.
