Life Without Barriers launches new brand identity via Principals to celebrate its 20th anniversary

Community services not-for-profit Life Without Barriers has launched its new brand identity via Principals, to celebrate a new chapter in its journey and the 20th anniversary of its operations.

The brand won the Best Corporate Identity and Branding award at the Sydney Design Awards held on 20th August 2014.  The new brand also represents the new direction in the services sector, from originally working with the government sector to provide care services, to the new consumer-focused era of social care.

The key challenge with the new brand identity was that the organisation works across a number of community sectors, including disability services, out-of-home care, aged care, mental health, homelessness and refugee and asylum seeker support services. The new look and feel had to be appealing and engaging for a wide cross-section of Australians varying in age, location and backgrounds who may need support.

Branding agency Principals was asked to create a vibrant new brand identity that challenged the way people view not-for-profit organisations such as Life Without Barriers, appealing to a wide range of audiences. The visual identity uses striking photography of individuals combined with a bold colour palette. The new typographic logo combines the name Life Without Barriers with the statement WE LIVE – communicating the aim of enabling people to build the life they want, by accessing the services they need, to achieve their personal goals.

Says Káti Gapaillard, Life Without Barriers’ marketing manager: “The social sector is undergoing major changes where we are focusing on more consumer-centric marketing. This is because increasingly it is up to each individual to choose the organisation they want to work with in the community; for instance older Australians are being given funding and can choose their aged care provider, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme has revolutionised disability services, where people now select their preferred disability support provider and programs.

“This in turn means that business-to-consumer marketing is more important than ever; our brand needs to stand out from the crowd and has to represent our ethos and the type of services we offer to a broad range of people. Principals also achieved the challenge of developing a strong logo that works brilliantly through digital and animated design platforms.”

Says Sandy Belford, director at Principals: “The challenge Principals faced was communicating the purpose of Life Without Barriers in a way that stood out in a crowded sector, and appealed to a range of audiences – from young people using the services, to government providing contracts and funding.

“The new brand identity works because it moves away from the clichéd imagery that’s usually used in the not-for-profit sector. The identity is focused more on the great lives people can live, and how Life Without Barriers helps them work towards that. It’s about capturing that sense of opportunity.”