Education charity Inspire rebranded following merger

In combining forces with a fellow Education Business Partnership, 15 Billion, the London-based charity sought the help of British design studio WMH&I to reinforce the charity’s role and purpose. Founded in 2004, Inspire aims to help young Londoners from minority backgrounds achieve their full potential, realise their ambitions and build fulfilling careers and lives.

With Inspire being the more established charity, the merged organisation will retain this name. WMH&I’s role in the pro bono project was to successfully unite the two charities under the same brand without disrupting its appeal to key stakeholders.

The new logo, which utilises the letter ‘I’ to appear as an open door, hopes to reflect the charity’s metaphorical role of opening doors for youngsters. The beam of light which shines through the door creates a sense of optimism and positivity, and informs the revised brand’s photography, illustration and typography.

Further work, such as the colour palette and tone of voice, aims to add a degree of vibrancy and playfulness. Meanwhile, the illustrations chosen were designed as part of a competition for schools in London. With the top 10 set to be used by Inspire, the two best will see their illustrators receive internships at WMH&I.

Claude Barbé-Brown, marketing manager at Inspire, says, "The new branding effectively conveys our purpose of "opening doors of opportunity" for young people in London. In addition to the visual identity, their agency culture has inspired us to be bold, unapologetic and confident in promoting our work and its significance.”

Wybe Magermans, WMH&I’s board director, adds, “We are delighted to help Inspire create a new identity that reflects their mission and purpose – opening the door to opportunity for so many of London’s young people. We are also excited to join the Inspire’s Supporter’s Network and are looking at other ways to partner.”