Briefing:Coming soon: a new brand for the Co-operative Party From: benwest For attention of: All Party Members, All Party Officers, NEC, Parliamentarians Published: 4th January 2019 Last updated: 31st January 2019 Business Type: Printed: 8th November 2024 Other formats: Print With the Party's second century now underway, and with our profile, membership and activity at their greatest in modern times, the time has come for a new brand that better reflects our renewed purpose and ambition as a Party. March 2019 will see the launch of a re-designed brand for the Party, including the roll-out of a new logo and materials. Here’s everything you need to know about getting your local party ready. Key information The Co-operative Party will be launching a refreshed brand, including a new logo, in March 2019. The new brand will include new document templates (such as a letterhead and PowerPoint slides), versions of the logo for your party council, and other tools which your local party can use. All Parties will also be able to order a branding starter pack. This will contain materials such as a roller banner, table cloth and membership forms, at a heavily-subsidised cost. Order my Brand Starter Pack Digital versions of all templates, logo files, fonts and other materials will also be available to download from mid-February 2019. You’ll be able to see a preview of the new brand in the next edition of the Pioneer, our member magazine. The new brand will be officially launched at Common Decency, the Party’s Spring Conference on 9th March 2019. Further details ContentsKey informationFurther details Some background While the Co-operative Party is over 100 years old, for much of its history it lacked a clearly defined logo and consistent look-and-feel to its printed and digital materials. As a result, many of the fonts, logos and colours used by local and national parties are there as a result of custom and practice, rather than any co-ordinated process. With the Party’s second century now underway, and with our profile, membership and activity at its greatest in modern times, the time has come to refresh our brand so it better reflects our renewed sense of purpose and ambition as a Party. What has the process been so far? In 2018 the NEC agreed to undertake a review of the Party’s brand to better reflect the Party’s ambitions for the future. Following a competitive process, an agency was appointed to refresh the Party’s visual look-and-feel, including logo, as well as developing recommendations for the language we use to communicate the Party’s mission and its work. After a year-long process involving members, party staff and elected representatives, a creative direction was agreed by the NEC, and a set of guidelines have been developed which set out the new, coherent brand identity. Over the next few months, we’ll be working to roll-out the brand nationally, and assist local parties in doing so as well. What's actually changing? If talk of brands, visual identities and guidelines aren’t your thing, some of the ways you’ll see the new brand in action in coming months include: A new Party logo, which will be used anywhere you see the current party logo being used right now. Localised versions of the Party logo for each party council, as well as for our member-led networks. These new logos should replace any currently in use by your local party. A refreshed party website, incorporating the new logo and colour scheme A new line of party merchandise carrying the new logo and colour scheme on show at events and for sale online For the first time,a comprehensive set of document templates for meeting agendas and minutes, branch reports, letterheads, PowerPoint slides and much more, ready to download and use. Re-designed promotional materials carrying the new brand including pull-up banners, membership forms, the welcome letter/membership card sent to new members, and more. A re-design of the Pioneer, the Party member magazine, giving it a fresher, more modern feel. A facelift of all our social media profiles and content. Where can I see what the new brand looks like? The new brand aims to develop and build on what works about the existing brand, rather than being a radical departure. For example, the colour purple will remain our main colour, and the new logo draws on symbols and imagery that will be familiar to those of us co-operative movement, and which are historically associated with it. Hopefully the new brand will therefore come as a pleasant surprise rather than a shock. The brand will be previewed in the Spring 2019 edition of the Pioneer, our member magazine, as well as online in mid-February. We will then formally launch the new brand and logo at ‘Common Decency’, our Spring Conference, on the 9th of March. You can register to attend here. How can I get the new materials? From March 2019, all local parties should begin using the new brand and materials wherever they can. However, we’re working to ensure this isn’t a complicated or expensive process: From February onwards, all local Parties will be able to order a Brand Starter Pack. The new pack will contain a roller banner, table cloth, membership forms and a range of other printed materials to get you started. The Pack will also include a USB stick pre-loaded with photos, videos, fonts and templates ready to customise, print and use. All the new templates for letterheads, fonts, meeting agendas and PowerPoint slide decks will be available to download from a new section of the Party Membership Hub, to be launched in early February. From March, new Party merchandise will be available to buy on the Party website via our online shop. A new ‘Brand Toolkit’, will be available. Intended for use by professional designers, the Toolkit will include everything those with access to professional design software needs to begin creating materials in line with the new brand. What should I do with the old materials? From the start of March, you should use the new materials as soon as you are able to access them. Because many of the materials we use are digital and printed ‘as-needed’, if at all, the switch to the new brand should result in very little waste. Over the past year the Party has also sought to minimise waste by gradually reducing the quantities of printed materials we order, and using up existing stock. If you have unused materials of your own, please use the next few months to use them up before the new brand is launched. Action Points Think about how you use the current brandThink about any existing printed materials, documents or templates you currently use, which may need updating or replacing. Update your local PartyKeep members updated that the new branding is coming, and how it will be rolled out. Keep an eye outKeep an eye out for more information about how to order your local Party's Brand Starter Pack, which will be available from early February. For more information For more information about the new brand or advice on how to roll it out, get in touch Archived: Ben West Communications & Digital Officer