The National Childbirth Trust has rebranded as part of an attempt to make its mission clearer and to reinforce the charity’s support to its service users.
The membership body has updated its logo and introduced a new strapline: “For pregnancy, parents and progress.”
The NCT said it conducted an 18-month consultation process with more than 2,000 parents, including 500 pregnant women.
Respondents said they viewed the NCT as “trusted and supportive” but the charity was still most often associated with antenatal classes rather than free-to-access support across pregnancy, birth and early parenthood.
The research also found about four in 10 respondents wanted greater honesty about the day‑to‑day realities of becoming a parent and six in 10 felt overwhelmed by the volume of information about caring for their baby.
“These insights sit at the heart of NCT’s refreshed brand and led to an approach that is more honest and grounded in real experiences,” the NCT said.
“The charity’s brand now captures real, authentic pregnancy and parenting moments in its imagery and illustrations – stretch marks, tired eyes, and the everyday realities of pregnancy and early parenthood that parents recognise as their own.”
The charity said it spent £106,000 on its rebrand, covering strategy, “extensive” parent research and focus groups, design and creative, and research and inclusive audience testing was carried out by Humankind Research.
The organisation said its refreshed brand draws inspiration from the NCT’s history by reworking the mother‑and‑baby symbol from its founding logo, which the charity says is “simpler, more inclusive and unmistakably modern”.
The new brand has a “down-to-earth tone” and a new colour palette and creative approach to improve accessibility, the NCT said.
The creative agency Studio Texture worked on the imagery and tone of the rebrand, while the brand strategy was developed by the strategists Louise Kyme and Dan Dufour.
Angela McConville, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, said the charity and society had “changed considerably” since its last rebrand almost a decade ago.
“This refreshed brand – which has been created by parents, for parents – is a modern, inclusive expression of who we are now,” she said.
“It will help us reach more women and parents, lowering barriers to support, and ensuring people see NCT as their companion through parenthood, understanding the breadth of what NCT offers.
“It sends a clear message to new and expectant parents: this is a place for you, whatever your journey to and through parenthood.”