A new look for HYELM

Featured image for A new look for HYELM

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.

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You meet the eligibility criteria, the next step is to complete our application form to make sure we are a good fit and book a tour.

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