From the first client meeting, where we were delivered the brief by our clients and were able to ask questions and interact, I created a mind map using the notes I took. I found that the main points they stressed were being a personal and intimate company connecting with the clients in a way that makes them unique. They also want to be upbeat, similar to cancer research and macmillan.
I decided to research up beat brands, to get a grasp of what is currently out there. I looked at change 4 life, who use very bright colours and a happy family setting, with drawings of stick men. This could work extremely nicely for Fostering, though Change 4 Life is a company aiming to help those learn about healthy lifestyles and cut obesity, fostering needs to be viewed in a healthy, happy light too and could be achieved by using a similar outlook.
I also looked into campaigns such as The Girl Effect. The fostering company's website is overwhelming with information, and I think a great way to discard this and still get the point across is through the use of animation. The Girl Effect have created a whimsical animation that's hard hitting and light hearted at the same time: with the use of textures and bold writing. You can view this here.
The Fostering Company mentioned they wanted to be viewed in a light similar to Macmillan.Macmillan were named best charity brand in the UK in 2013, so are extremely well known and popular. They use a singular colour and a very friendly, rounded font. Green has almost become associated with Macmillan, and they use various shades of the colour but mainly a bright green. A lot of their branding is very simple, with a logo that is simply the name of the company and nothing else: similar to the girl effect, they have campaigns and videos shown as advertisements and all of their website to explain exactly what they do and who they are. This is something I think would work extremely well with the Fostering Company if their budget would allow it: videos and animations work well in getting a point across without crowding with information. They also use simple illustrations which are visually striking and detailed without being too over the top and confusing.
Looking into other foster carers, I was actually in Asda when I saw a stall for this website, foster cares. I decided to have a nosy and found they use bright colours and also have an image taking up the page, rather than bombarding with information. I want to use a similar design, but also want to keep the logo of the fostering company as a family, as I feel foster cares logo is quite abstract and doesn't really match the brand.
