In association with The Social Family
THE main political parties in the UK have been rebranded as part of a campaign that aims to help voters reconnect with politics.
Politics Rebranded comes at a time when many British voters believe politics to be broken. More than three-quarters of people polled by YouGov say politics in the UK is working poorly.
Since the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, Brexit has dominated UK politics. Things reached a head in recent months, with the rejected ‘meaningful votes’ on Theresa May’s deal and the delay of Brexit until October
At the same time official statistics show that although the 2017 General Election recorded the highest turnout since 1997, the number of 68.8% is still down significantly on the average of over 71% turnout between 1922 and 1997.
Cleary something needs to change. But can a branding makeover help? That’s what online printing company Solopress wanted to explore with the Politics Rebranded campaign.
Simon Cooper, Solopress Managing Director, said: “The current state of British politics inspired us to imagine how political parties could connect better with voters.”
Solopress has created new brand identities for six major political parties in the UK. Forming a creative partnership with award-winning designers, Solopress analysed the current branding and created new designs for each party – looking at logos, business cards, posters and more.
Switch off from the 24/7 doom and gloom for a moment with Politics Rebranded – our rebranding of the main political parties. Created in partnership with two influential designers, what do you think of these new looks? >> https://t.co/0icPdAzj6A pic.twitter.com/EjUr3pPwky
— Solopress (@solopress) 30 March 2019
Phil Cleaver, professor of the creative industries at Middlesex University, and award winning freelance creative director and graphic designer Radim Malinic, highlighted a range of inconsistencies and a lack of impact in the current designs.
Mr Malinic called the current designs “disjointed and inconsistent” and urged political parties to tap into the identity of football.
He said: “Political parties should learn from household brands and mass-fan following sports like the Premier League. This is where tribalism and sense of belonging comes to real life. This is the field with a strong sense of identity. Even small teams have solid design systems where they can communicate clearly with their fan base.”
The new designs are informed by creative branding expertise and the latest industry trends. The new Labour branding, for example, remains in the party’s red and white colours, but introduces an abstract rose as Labour’s revamped party symbol.
Professor Cleaver, of Middlesex University, said: “We navigate our daily decisions by the symbols that surround us. Use a symbol which clearly outlines your beliefs and over time it will become undeniably associated with you. This transcends language – no other context is needed.”
Simon Cooper, Solopress MD, added: “Branding is so important to other big businesses and why should it be any different for political parties? While major brands sell products, parties are selling policies – both need to have a strong and coherent message and that begins with the branding.”
Mr Cleaver backed up the importance of visual branding in how people see political parties.
He said: “Aligning your political message to appropriate visual communication helps to strengthen the credibility of your claims. Which, in turn, can hopefully lead to the trust of your voters.”
Could a redesign help change your mind on politics? Browse the redesigns at the Politics Rebranded site and decide for yourself.
