HYELM looks different. Emily Walters, Director of B1 Creative, our new
design and marketing agency, explains more.
Branding is more than just a great logo. It’s how you make people who
come in contact with your business feel and how they respond to your brand.
It’s what people say about your brand when you aren’t in the room. It’s not
enough to just look good. People are savvy and quickly see through shallow brands with hollow
promises: left unchecked reputations are quickly destroyed.
Although HYELM have been doing a fantastic job supporting young people
for nearly 100 years, the brand’s identity, its look and feel, was old
fashioned and no longer relevant. During research, residents said HYELM’s
purpose and offering was unclear and often confusing. It was evident that the
time was right for HYELM to change, and change it has. We needed to make sure
that whenever stakeholders come into contact with HYELM, whether through the
website, social media or in person, their experience was positive and
consistent.
Over the last year we scrutinised
many aspects of the business; reviewed and rewrote processes, interviewed
residents past and present and a wider group of stakeholders, all of whom felt
passionately about HYELM and the great work they do.
We did this to ensure we created a robust new identity that was fit for
purpose and that everyone could be proud of.
What did we want people to think, feel and do when interacting with
HYELM?
As an established provider of affordable, quality housing for young
people in London for nearly 100 years it was essential that the new identity
was grounded in its heritage.
In a city where rogue landlords are ten a penny, we also needed people
to understand and believe that HYELM is on the side of its residents and making
a positive difference to London’s housing crisis.
Finally, we wanted people to feel inspired to become advocates of HYELM
and spread the word.
By putting residents front and centre we were able to design a bold and
vibrant identity that not only stands out, but which young people relate to and
want to engage with. The base colour blue instills confidence and inspires feelings
of trust, loyalty and integrity. A gender neutral contrasting colour pallete suggests
youth and vibrancy and makes people stop and take notice.
The new website clearly articulates why HYELM exists and the offering
for residents is now clear. Navigation is intuitive and the application process
has been stripped back, simplified and designed to be hassle free. HYELM are
straight talking, approachable, fair and reliable, traits firmly rooted in the foundations of the new
identity and which we are confident will serve young people well today and for
the next 100 years.
Are you eligible?
74 of the 125 bed spaces are reserved for key workers. If you are a key worker, you can find out more and register your interest using the London Mayor’s Share to Buy website.
To be eligible for one of the remaining 51 places, you must meet the following criteria.
Please select all that apply.
You don't meet all our criteria, but we want to hear more from you. The next step is complete this short form.