A heritage and conservation charity has rebranded and updated its “visually dull and technically antiquated” website for the first time in 20 years.
The Victorian Society, which campaigns for the conservation and re-use of historic Victorian and Edwardian buildings, hopes its new website and branding will help it to connect with younger people.
“With a website estimated to be 20 years old the charity knew it needed to raise awareness of the issues it champions, find new and younger members, and act as a resource for its diverse stakeholders,” the charity said.
The rebrand included a new logo with “rich blood-red colouring” while introducing a “contemporary sans serif font” to the website.
Work on the rebrand took about 15 months, which was longer than anticipated because of a campaign the charity is running.
It used the Banbury-based agency Toast Design to deliver a new identity and bespoke website.
The agency worked with the charity’s staff and volunteer lead Jesse Freedman, who brought web and marketing experience from Apple and Google to create the new brand identity.
The Victorian Society declined to reveal the cost of the rebrand.
The charity said it wanted a website that could be “augmented over time” with new content, while retaining the “historic posts” that make up a virtual archive of its campaigning history.
“Toast has used the new logo, font and colours from the website across the business pack, for email signatures, social media icons, email templates, a Canva template for A5 leaflets, and a new template for the printed events sheet,” the charity said.
The Victorian Society will finish its rebrand by designing new membership and legacy leaflets and a new brass name plaque for the front of the charity’s grade II-listed head office.
The plaques are estimated to take between six and eight weeks to finish, while the leaflets will take longer.
James Hughes, director of The Victorian Society, said the charity’s previous website was much-loved but “visually dull and technically antiquated”.
He said: “Added to this, and for the very first time, the society now has a logo and visual identity that is integrated, coherent and expressive of the positive, celebratory nature of the society’s work.”