What is Accessibility
Developing a brand identity that is fitting to the consumer is key in creating a successful brand.
Through workshops and active research, identifying colour combinations and typography that stays clear and comprehensive for a wide range of impairments becomes the initial building blocks for an effective identity.
Practice What We Preach
At Design by Country we practice what we preach, it’s the best way for us to show you we really know what we’re talking about.
As you go through this site, we have focused attention on making sure that it is accessible to everyone through its design. Our colour combinations reach a AAA and AA standard, while our fonts and spacing ensure clarity for anyone going through.
We understand these pitches can be long, this is another reason for us to make sure everything is as clear as it possibly can be.
What We Have Learnt About Derwen
Derwen’s History
& Agnes Hunt
Derwen College was established in 1927 by Dame Agnes Hunt. Her aim was to teach physically disabled children and adults to become wholly self-supporting.
This is a vision of independence that we still work towards more than 90 years later.
Working with varying commercial sides of Derwen, and what is to become “Derwen High Street”, student’s are given the opportunity to develop industry level vocational skills. These are then matched by on-site accommodation, adding development of social skills and independence, continuing to fulfil Agnes Hunt’s dream of helping them become self-sufficient.
A combination of this, the bonds between students and employees at Derwen and the support via the charity make it clear that Derwen functions as a family over anything else.
Values & Impressions
These are vital for us to understand how a brand wants to be perceived, as well as how they already are, feeding into developing the big idea behind every identity refresh.
Values
- Ambitious
- Collaborative
- Caring
- Creative
- Inclusive
Impressions
- Warm
- Friendly
- Diverse
- Like a family
- Caring
- Unique
The Family Tree
The Derwen College parent brand identity will share it’s core values with the family of sub brands, with each sub brand having its own identity.
The key to the success of the brand family will be the ability to maintain the strength of the parent brand identity. To do this the parent brand needs to be able to be coherently integrated with the sub brands.
The parent brand needs a ‘big idea’ that helps maintain authority when integrated into the sub brands. A strong icon, typography style are examples of how to do this.
A distinct brand family can become much more a sum of its parts but needs a clear brand strategy to truly deliver success.
Consistency is key to a successful brand family. The ability to preserve the core mission, purpose and values of the parent brand.
Building The Derwen Family
With every project we work on we identify a big idea to carry through and unite the identity, ensuring we can create something with purpose.
Our big idea and focus for Derwen is Family.
As we go through the values, impressions and mission of Derwen, they ring true of a family. A safe environment set to help it’s students flourish.
But this also echoes through the brand’s architecture; with the College and Charity as your parent brands followed by the varying sub brands, we are able to simplify this brand refresh by looking at it in a slightly different way.
Deliverables
Project 1
Brand identity
- Brand Positioning, mission and values.
- Visual identity – Logo, colours, typography
- Brand Guidelines
- Wayfinding, Use local expertise as partner
Project 2
Website
- Website Design
- WordPress CMS
Branding
Projects such as these are initiated through workshops and interviews; working with stakeholders such as your teachers and TA’s, charity workers and it’s funders, but more importantly understanding the response throughout this project from your students and their families. These are all centred around collaboration and co-creation, ensuring that what we create responds to your needs of creating a truly accessible brand identity. Though we are aware of Derwen not wanting to refresh the brand to an extreme degree, this collaborative approach remains behind the scenes to make sure that what we are developing is not only fit for your demographic but also shows the Derwen values and principles.
Workshop will be run with two structures, depending on those attending. Activities will be set to identify how employees at the college and the charity relate to the brand with alternate ones to engage students in ensuring the development of the new brand identity fits with representing the work and environment set by Derwen. While interviews will be focused towards parents to understand what draws them to trusting Derwen College with helping their children to reach the next step in developing their futures.
Using the values, as set in the brief, and the descriptions of the college we can develop a basis for our questions and what directions to take the activities in to best understand how we can develop Derwen College into a living, breathing brand, representative of the work and opportunity it presents. Through these workshops and interviews we can then begin to understand the best implementation of how we can introduce more warmth and humanity into the brand; fundamentally developing an understanding of Derwen’s personality and values and finding how best to bring these through in the brand’s identity.
Working collectively with both those from the College and the charity will allow us to develop a cohesive brand, with complimenting logos allowing each to also stand alone. This will also allow us to ensure cohesion with elements for the brand architecture, feeding into the umbrella brands.
Website Design
Alongside creating a new identity for Derwen, a new website will push for creating Derwen as a brand focused around accessibility in all aspects. Using colour palettes and fonts developed for and carried throughout the brand family architecture, combined with UX workshops we will be able to identify the best framework to create a website that best functions for Derwen’s core demographics.
By incorporating everything developed for the brand architecture, we can look at how to incorporate this in not only representing the Parent Brands, the college itself and the charity, but ensure the sub brands and commercial elements remain part of the cohesive brand.
Booking systems and navigation will be a key element in ensuring we can deliver a website of a WCAG AAA standard, where applicable.
We use WordPress as our chosen CMS which has the ability to incorporate all of the mentioned integrations within the brief. Users can easily add, update or remove pages. A broad selection of page templates will be designed to offer greater flexibility and consistency.
We have particular experience in ecommerce and booking systems as seen in our chosen case studies.
The following integrations and services will be installed as standard:
- Booking system
- Ecommerce system
- Yoast SEO plugin
- Analytics
- Mailchimp Integration
- Document downloads (prospectus).
- Payment gateway
- Secure parent/carer pages – Password or user account managed
Hosting can be provided with our trusted UK based solution Styre Limited (uk reg 12506932).
Derwen High Street
An exciting addition to the Derwen Family, Derwen High Street, offers a more commercial output for the brand.
Fitting in a different remit as the other elements of the brand family, Derwen High Street will need to be explored and developed in a slightly different way.
To make this element successful it needs to be addressed as a group of independent retail brands, ensuring a great product first and foremost.
Though the benefits of it being run through Derwen are a driving factor for visitors, it is the focus on the product and brand itself that will initially draw customers and allow us to record levels of success; allowing each brand to thrive independently but remain a part of the Derwen Family.
Wayfinding
Wayfinding is a critical aspect of the Derwen brand experience.
Wayfinding not only needs to fluidly signpost students and visitors to where they need to be, but also presents an opportunity to build connections with your brand story.
Public and commercial space design is a fast moving area – with deeper levels of understanding of how people interact with their environments and people within their space.
Our approach to wayfinding responds to these changes and connects people to these experiences. By merging brand expression, information design and product design, we’d work with you to create a unique and enriching experience for people visiting and residing at your sites.
Accessibility in the wayfinding system is paramount and will make this a priority.
Why Country?
Our Approach
Our core focus has always been, and continues to be, human-centric. In our rapidly expanding digital age, injecting a living, human element into brands is more important than ever. To succeed in this competitive and cluttered space, brands need to be multifaceted; to have good days and bad days, serious sides and silly sides, to be highbrow as well as light-hearted. Just like people, we believe that brands that are born and evolve in this way are disproportionately successful.
Therefore, alongside our proven methodology, Country have developed a unique approach that focuses on putting personality and humanity at the centre of the design process. This allows us to create brands that people can relate to, fall in love with and want to invite into their lives.
To achieve this outcome, we harness the most powerful tool of any business; the people. We gather information from clients, creatives and stakeholders to capture the essence of a brand and identify how we can ensure it resonates – both engagingly and sustainably.
We call this Personality Led Design, and we have already deployed it successfully with a number of local authority clients and projects.
By entering into close, collaborative relationships with our clients, we foster a shared understanding and ownership of their key business challenges, working together to achieve the ultimate goal of solving the commercial challenge that exists.
Part of this approach involves opening up the design process to be fully transparent; we demystify what goes on inside our design studio, pull down the metaphorical curtain and share it with our partners, inviting clients to participate, think and design alongside us.
Alongside design aspects, our strong, dedicated strategy team will help to uncover valuable insights and identify new opportunities for connecting with your audience more authentically.
Who We Are
Design by Country is made up of a core team of citizens with diverse backgrounds and skill sets, who come together to bring exceptional value and insight to new projects. The mission of the business is to make good design accessible to all, bringing the big ideas to smaller projects and making sure that size, budget and ambition don’t mean people miss out on the key factors in building their brand. We introduce strategy from the get go, working with the client to come up with that ‘big idea’ to breathe life into their brand.
We are highly experienced in working with local authorities, charities and educational establishments, we believe our skills, experience and unique, human-centric approach will enable us to deliver an exceptional brand identity and narrative for Derwen College, and its sub brands, that will deeply resonate with – and inspire – all those who engage with it.
At Country we pride ourselves on our diverse team, from professional to personal experience, these are the Citizens that will be working with you on your project.
Warran
I am founder of Design by Country, with over 20 years of branding experience. With particular expertise helping both the private and public sectors to engage more meaningfully with their communities.
I have a close connection to and interest in how children and young adults with learning difficulties learn and navigate the world. My daughter Sophia attends Severndale Specialist Academy and being a Dad and parent governor has given me a unique view of how parents, children and the school communicate together.
Daisy
I’m an Account Manager, with my role at Country originating as Brand Strategist. I studied both Fine Art and Communication Design at Falmouth University and it’s given me a pretty broad, and sometimes obscure, referencing system.
In both practices I’ve focused on social engagement and co-creation, with my MA in Communication Design leading to a particular interest in Design for Social Change, how this is defined and how it can be implemented in a practice outside of it’s norm… Mostly through Co-Creation and Collaboration.
George
I am the lead web developer at Country, specialising in WordPress development, with over 8 years commercial experience as a web designer and developer. Coming from a large family, I enjoy spending time with my young nieces and nephews. Our youth are the future, and the education of our youth is paramount.
I am passionate about web design and take an active interest in the latest UI/UX best practices, with a particular emphasis on performance and accessibility. I believe a great website needs to look good and be easy to use; Good usability doesn’t have to be complicated, simpler is often better. I build websites with clear, readable text, and semantic, screen reader and search engine friendly markup.
Yaz
I’m a designer at Country. Since I was a kid, I’ve loved drawing and being creative. The best part of my job is that now I get to do that all the time, and help other people to boot. Growing up, I was a young carer to my brother, so I’ve seen first hand the joys and struggles that can come to those growing up with disabilities and learning difficulties. Inclusion is something I’m very passionate about.
I studied Media and Communication at Goldsmiths UoL. Which included a mixture of anthropology, sociology, and film making. I’m pretty new to the design world, but it’s quickly become a welcoming home to me
Owen
I’m a designer at Design by Country with an honest and tactile approach to the field, aiming to always make a positive impact with my work. I studied Graphic Design at De Montfort University in Leicester. This not only supplied me with all of the skills needed for a successful career within design, but it gave me a much greater understanding of inclusivity and the importance of application.
My parents often visit Derwen College’s walled garden cafe, they particularly enjoy the atmosphere and loving environment the students and grounds offer.
Lotte
I am a designer at Design by Country with particular interests in branding and illustration. I’ve recently completed my Undergraduate degree in Graphic Communication at Birmingham City University.
My time at design by country has enabled me to strengthen my skills surrounding the idea of design for people, by people. Having experienced first hand the challenges that young people with disabilities can face, a brief like this holds great sentiment to me.
Experience
Specialist Education & Charities
The Hive
Rebrand, Printed Collateral, Signage
Based in the heart of Shrewsbury, The Hive has been helping give a voice to vulnerable children and young people across Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin for the last eleven years.
As both a charity and a venue, The Hive had a unique challenge of finding a clear identity and voice, that’s when we were invited in to help.
Severndale Specialist Academy
Rebrand
Severndale is one of the largest special education centres in the country. Working with other schools based in Shropshire, Severndale ensure a breadth of opportunity to offer education to children and young people aged 2-19, with a wide range of learning difficulties and disabilities.
This project also holds a personal regard to Founder Warran Brindle, who for the last 3 years has held a position as Parent Governor as his youngest daughter attends the school.
Hope House Children’s Hospice
Rebrand, Video, website design & development
Hope House is a palliative care centre whose main mission is to ensure every family facing the death of a child doesn’t have to experience it alone, making sure they receive the care and support when they need it.
Retail, Food & Drink
Peter’s Yard
Packaging, Branding, Website, Marketing, Content & Art Direction
Peter’s Yard is a specialist Swedish bakery, best known for it’s delicious range of sourdough crackers or knäckebröd.
Through our long standing creative partnership, we have been able to grow Peter’s Yard from a small brand found in local deli’s to the brand seen today in national and international grocery. You can find their traditional knäckebröd in major supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Waitrose through export into North America and Australia. Alongside pushing Peter’s Yard to a new commercial level, we also developed a custom ecommerce solution promoting relationships and availability directly with customers.
Brompton Cookery School
www.bromptoncookeryschool.co.uk
Website, Booking System & Online Shop
Brompton Cookery School is run by Marcus and Jenny Bean. Focusing on sustainability and quality local produce, championing the county of Shropshire.
The cookery school offers a range of courses, focused around creative cooking that is practical at home. Aiming to inspire their students to push their boundaries even after their experience at Brompton.
We enabled Brompton to take their course booking online and went on to generate £180k in sales in 12 months. (pre pandemic). Introducing voucher sales, newsletter marketing and a crm.
Smoke Stop
Branding, Signage
Smoke Stop is the first authentic Smokehouse in Shropshire, offering classic American cuisine in the heart of the county.
We worked on naming, brand identity and interior design of the restaurant. Converting a traditional Grade II listed pub into an authentic American road side smokehouse, complete with bespoke neon signage.
Public Sector
Invest in Shropshire
Branding, Website, Brand Collateral
Invest in Shropshire is a Council initiated scheme which forms part of Shropshire Council’s five-year economic strategy for making Shropshire a more viable prospect for relocation amongst businesses in the surrounding counties.
Country were asked to develop an engaging brand identity, including a strong and recognisable logo and colour palette and ensuring this would work seamlessly across the website, digital platforms and printed literature.
Right Home Right Place
Website Design & Strategy
Right Home Right Place is a Shropshire Council-led initiative to uncover hidden housing needs and support affordable housing delivery across the county.
We worked with the Council to develop Right Home Right Place into a brand; understanding their mission, to increase their reach and develop their website with the aim of encouraging participation.
Developing their website introduced us to understanding how to create accessibility digitally as all websites for Shropshire Council have to comply with accessibility standards.
Economic Recovery
Branding, County Wide Campaign,
The Economic Recovery Scheme is a branch from Invest in Shropshire as a response to the Covid19 Pandemic. Initiated in June, the scheme offers grants to all businesses that have been financially affected by the lockdowns over the last year.
Country were asked to create a new identity for the Economic Recovery scheme, whilst still identifying with the parent brand. We did this by taking elements from the existing Invest in Shropshire logo, and adapting them to sit subtly within a new identity of the sub brand. The chosen colour palette differentiated from Invest in Shropshire’s, keeping the bright and playful colours to reflect the nature of their campaign, as well as aiding with the visual separation of the two identities.
Testimonials
“We’re delighted to benefit from working with a highly-experienced and talented team at Country – which has no doubt played a part in our 50% average year-on-year business growth.”
Wendy Wilson Bett – Joint Founder, Peter’s Yard
“Ultimately, we were looking to create a brand that our local community; participants, customers, audiences, clients and project partners, could relate to. DBC Studio really encouraged this approach and helped to facilitate discussion around our new brand and the future of The Hive.”
Katie Jennings – CEO of The Hive
“Design by Country have brought a completely fresh perspective to our marketing efforts and helped us to engage more consistently and authentically with our audiences. As well as improving our branding, web presence and corporate positioning, they’ve enabled us to not only connect with communities – but to educate and inspire them to take action.”
Mark Barrow – Director of place Shropshire Council