What we got up to in June
June – the month in which world leaders gathered for awkward pics in Cornwall, temperatures in the Arctic Circle hit a terrifying 48°C, and former UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock fell on his, erm, sword.
Here’s what we got up to at Blue Stag…
Introducing Autistic Minds
We reached an exciting milestone in June as our client ‘The Autism Directory’ became our client ‘Autistic Minds’. The new name reflects the evolution of the charity since its launch as an online directory for autism services ten years ago.
Connecting autistic people with the services they need is still very much a core part of the charity’s offering, but it’s become so much more than that. It supports autistic adults at every stage of their autism journey, offering advice and support, innovative employment programmes and live events for tens of thousands of people.
The charity’s soul is its staff, 60% of whom are autistic themselves. Their understanding of autism is founded in their lived experience – they’re there for the autistic community because they are the autistic community. The new name gets across this shared sense of identity, and will be accompanied by a new visual identity and website. We can’t wait to get it all launched!
A new Digital Marketing Programme for Cardiff University
Over the last few months, we’ve been working closely with Cardiff University to design a new Digital Marketing Programme, offering support to early-stage businesses and students.
We’ve been genuinely inspired by the quality of the ideas and creativity in the applications, and can’t wait to get started with our cohort of six students.
We’ve designed the programme around practical workshops and tailored one-to-one support, covering a mix of branding, marketing, and strategic thinking.
Climate Scotland passes 1,000 voices in its first day
June saw the launch of Climate Cymru’s Scottish sister campaign called, you guessed it, Climate Scotland.
The campaign got off to a great start, with more than 1,000 people adding their voice in the first 24 hours.
As host nation for the upcoming UN Climate Summit (COP26), Scotland’s campaign puts extra emphasis on international leadership and setting a positive example under the glare of the global spotlight in November.
Celebrating young entrepreneurs around the world
Our incredible client Youth Business International supports young people around the world to start and grow their own businesses.
In 2020, the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic hit young people especially hard, decimating employment opportunities and putting livelihoods at risk. Together with its members and partners, YBI offered support to more than 150,000 young entrepreneurs around the world to help them through the crisis. Their crisis support programme helped 38,500 businesses survive, maintaining more than 41,000 jobs in the process.
We worked with YBI to create a digital impact report, celebrating the work of their members through this period and the inspiring young people they supported.
The piece was created using third-party platform Shorthand – a new technical and design challenge for us. We’ve worked hard as a team to come up with a result that does justice to the incredible work and people showcased in the report, and one that YBI can be proud of.
Helping older people overcome abuse
Research suggests almost half a million people aged over 65 in the UK will experience some form of abuse. This can include financial and domestic abuse, neglect and, in extreme cases, sexual violence.
We worked with the Older People’s Commissioner team to design and develop an accessible Abuse Services Directory. This will help people find support if they or someone they’re concerned about are experiencing abuse.
The solution provides a location-based search directory of both national and local support organisations. The services can be presented in either a map or a list depending on the user’s preference.
The website is AA accessible and fully bilingual. In addition, the back-end system gives the team complete control over service profiles and additional information, ensuring the directory stays up-to-date and evolves over time with the needs of its users.
We’re proud to have worked on this, and hope it will make a positive difference in the lives of vulnerable older people.
Plotting pathways to change in humanitarian response
Our client Elrha does amazing work to ensure people affected by humanitarian crises get the right help when they need it most.
They support high-quality research and innovation, so that humanitarian responders on the front line have access to the best possible evidence, technologies and techniques.
Their work makes a vital difference to people affected by crises, saving lives, improving health outcomes and protecting human dignity. But it can take time for that difference to show, and it doesn’t happen by accident – there are a number of important steps along the way.
Elrha’s first Pathways to Change report outlines the journey from defining problems through to delivering change, and gives examples of these steps in action. We lended a hand with copy editing and graphic design. As ever, it was a pleasure and a privilege to work with Elrha’s fantastic team.
Bringing the slopes of Mt Elgon to Wales
Jenipher’s Coffi is an ambitious new coffee brand, produced to fairtrade and organic standards by farmers on the volcanic slopes of Mt Elgon in Uganda, and roasted by hand here in Wales.
The coffee is produced by a co-operative of more than 3,000 small-scale farmers, Vice-Chaired by Jenipher Wettaka – a widowed mother of seven.
Selling coffee on fairtrade terms has allowed Jenipher to educate all of her children and create new opportunities for their futures. The co-operative provides a stable and resilient income for the community, and helps farmers combat climate change by planting and protecting trees.
We’re delighted to be building a new website for Jenipher’s coffee. The site will tell the farmers’ stories and allow customers and stockists to buy the coffee online. So far, we’ve run workshops and surveys to better understand the brand and its customers, and we’re now working up our initial wireframes. Watch this space!
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