Behind the scenes of our brand refresh

When I was asked to join the brand project board in February 2020 I jumped at the chance – I felt it was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Whilst I have seen the Girlguiding brand go through quite a few iterations in my time as a member I’ve only ever been a recipient. To have the opportunity to be part of the process and bring the volunteers’ perspective as well as get an insight into the process was something I couldn’t say no to.

I'm a Guide leader, mentor, district treasurer and currently lead volunteer for member communications and I've been involved in the project all the way through to launch.

As a project board our role was to provide governance for the project and provide advice to the brand and marketing team at Girlguiding HQ as well as the creative agency involved. We gave our thoughts on how we wanted the organisation to be perceived externally as well as how volunteers might feel about the changes being proposed.

We listened to the different research that was carried out over the years and helped make the decision on the logos and colours that were being adopted.  I also had the opportunity to take part in several workshops where we scoped out what is called ‘tone of voice’ – how we talk about ourselves and the key messages we give. This was one of the best parts for me and I feel the way we talk about the organisation has such a big impact on how people feel about us, and the new tone of voice is so dynamic and fresh – I love it!

I love this organisation – I have been a member for over 50 years – and I want as many girls and adults as possible to have the opportunity to experience what I have over the years.

In order to do that we have to make sure that people understand what being part of Girlguiding is all about – and that we are just as relevant to girls as we were back in 1910. Refreshing our brand – the way we look and feel – is a way to highlight what an amazing space Girlguiding is and hopefully encourage so many more people to come and join us.

Changing our look and feel doesn’t change the core of who we are – we are still the same organisation with the same aims, promise and programme. But it does keep us current and helps make the organisation as attractive to as many people as possible.

I think it’s great that we are taking this slowly too, so we don’t have to feel we have to buy anything new or make any changes - at least not straight away as we have a very gradual change over. I’m excited for a new uniform in a few years too.

I feel really privileged to have been part of this exciting time in Girlguiding’s history. I’ve had the opportunity to not only get to see ‘behind the scenes’ of what goes into a brand refresh but also to work with some amazing staff and volunteers. I guess it’s just one more thing to add to all the fantastic things that having Girlguiding in my life has brought me.