Friends of the Friarage launches new branding
Local hospital charity, Friends of the Friarage, is unveiling a new logo after requesting feedback on its brand from Friarage hospital staff, volunteers, and residents and school children across Hambleton and Richmondshire.
The trustees worked with two Northallerton-based businesses to help develop its brand. Digital Blonde Marketing Ltd took trustees through a series of workshops and ran online focus groups with staff, volunteers and residents to seek as broad a spectrum of views as possible. A design competition was then run by the charity during the 2021 lockdown with children from primary and secondary schools invited to help create a new Friends of the Friarage logo. Ten winners were selected and key themes from the drawings were collated; this included the use of hearts, bold colours and a modern and fun typography. Local designer, Matthew Wilson, (www.mexington.co.uk), completed the design of the new logo after being inspired by the children’s ideas.
You will be able to see the revamped logo on the charity’s website, social media, merchandise, signage, uniforms, flyers and new collection boxes.
Co-Chair of the Friends of the Friarage, Antony Walters, said, “Whilst we are extremely proud of the £5 million we’ve raised since 1957, the trustees are looking to the future and want to see the charity grow alongside the hospital, helping the hospital for generations to come. Involving local school children was a key element of this process and we were overwhelmed with the support we received and the creativity from the children. At each stage of the design process, we have involved stakeholders. We are a community charity so at each stage it’s been vital we listened to the views of local people across the generations.”
Matthew Wilson, designer, commented, “As a local resident, with two children who were born at the Friarage Hospital, I was delighted to be invited to create the new logo. It was fantastic to have the designs from school children as a starting point as you could clearly see they saw the charity as one that is caring, supportive and passionate. Many children had incorporated hearts into their designs, so I wanted to take that element through to the final design in a modern and fun way. The hospital is at the heart of our community and so I’ve worked hard to create a design that reflects that as well as being eye-catching, memorable and appeals to all generations.”
If you would like to support the work of the Friends of the Friarage, you can find out more on its facebook page at www.facebook.com/friendsofthefriarage, its website at https://www.friendsofthefriarage.org.uk/ or email celia.curry@nhs.net.