Brands and campaigns

Over 26 years, it’s fair to say I’ve worked on a fair few brands and campaigns. In the agency years working with the big boys…BP, M&S, BBC et al… but more recently, opting to support local social enterprises and independents.

Here’s a few faves from the recent archives…Put all the following in as blogs!

Start with eyeye blogs x 3.

Viewpoint blog.

Values made visible.

“Justine has a unique ability to really get under the skin of a brand.”
Miranda Plowden, Director of Business Development, SYHA

#1 Dun Works

Check out my TED talk for the lowdown on this one, but our brief was to create a brand, brand values and a campaign for a new residential development in Kelham Island.

On the tram on the way from the recce, my mind leapt from the name of the road where the development was going to be built (Dun Fields Road), to the metaphysical poet John Donne, to the River Don (or the River Dun as it was called in Celtic times), to the flood-lines painted on the side of the Fat Cat pub when the River Dun broke its banks in the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. You can (kind of) track the thought process in the visual, and some of the resulting campaign items. Sadly the suggestion of bog roll with the same message wasn’t taken up.

Brand architect and copywriting: Justine Gaubert
Graphic designer: Jonathan Wilkinson (Also an artist and illustrator - check out his website We live here.)
Client: South Yorkshire Housing Association

#2. Age Better campaign strategy, brand creation, and delivery of campaign using our Community Journalist volunteers.

Our strategy was to put co-design at the heart of Sheffield’s bid and to use the campaign to collect stories from the most isolated older people across Sheffield. In just 6 weeks, my community journalists delivered tea parties in old people’s homes, took an older people’s theatre group on tour around extra care schemes, and brought our infamous spoken word night ‘Words Aloud’ back for one more time. The night was entitled ‘Growing old Disgracefully.’

We collected over 50 hours of stories from older people across Sheffield and their stories informed the strategy and the campaign for the city, headed by the visionary Juliann Hall.

I worked with designer Paul Ward on creating a brand for the campaign and materials for all our campaign events. The campaign won ‘Outstanding Campaign of the Year’ in the national housing awards, but best of all, our approach to co-designing the campaign and the stories collected by our community journalists were cited by The Big Lottery as being critical to Sheffield being awarded the full £6million.

Brand architect and campaign strategy: Justine Gaubert

Graphic designer: Paul Ward

Client: South Yorkshire Housing Association (lead organisation) funded by the Big Lottery.

Winner: National Outstanding Campaign of the Year 2015 (National Housing Awards).

“We won the full £6million! The Big Lottery Cited the work of Silent Cities and your community journalists as being critical to giving Sheffield the edge. Thank you for all your hard work.”

Juliann Hall, Director of Care and Wellbeing, SYHA (lead partner on Sheffield’s bid).

#4. Sheffield Cathedral (an oldie but a goodie!)

It’s got to be at least ten years since I worked with the wonderful designer, Rachel Coles on a new brand and strapline for Sheffield Cathedral. The fact it’s still being used, (and I think still looks really fresh) is testament to the love and thought that went into this.

In the absence of doing a brand workshop with the ‘big client upstairs’, I spent a lot of time at the Cathedral and everyone who worked there.

The crypt in particular is a very peaceful space to sit, and the history of it is fascinating (did you know when it was being built, the plan was to build it in the shape of the cross, but they only built one side of the cross and when building had to be stopped because of the war).

Rache designed the symbol to mean different things to different people, much in the same way that faith does I suppose. You may see the prominent Sheffield Cathedral archway, or perhaps one person caring for another? Me, I see a candle in the negative space, reflecting light, space and hope.

Although not religious myself, I remember feeling moved by the people who worked there, and their commitment to make the building available for everyone. They were in a wrangle with the council and businesses to let them bring their breakfast club and other homeless support into the Cathedral itself, rather than keeping homelessness ‘out of sight’ where it was before.

They won.

I had this in mind when I wrote the strapline: A place for all people.

It’s incredibly rare for a brand to stand the test of time and to still feel fresh and authentic, though I think they’ve been ‘blessed’ to have the likes of Graham Congreve as their supporters, whose design knowledge and contacts have re-imagined the brand over the last few years, whilst still retaining our logo and strapline.

I wonder if ten years is a record for a symbol and logotype not to be touched? Though I guess the sign of the cross will be a tough one to beat…

#6. The only way is ethics