Case Study
British Swimming
Case Study
A new visual strategy unifies British Swimming and brings its core mission to life
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British Swimming is the national governing body for swimming, diving, para-swimming, synchronised swimming and water polo in Great Britain. It is responsible for the high-performance of the sport internationally and seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
The five divisions of British Swimming had been traditionally promoted using creative concepts that changed each year in support of various events. The organisation was keen to develop a clear brand strategy that would unite all five disciplines under one banner while maintaining the integrity of each one individually. They wanted an idea with longevity that could be developed over time whilst delivering a consistent representation of the brand.
The marketing team was keen to bring together disparate aspects of the organisation, from the head office in Loughborough to the multiple national performance centres based all over the UK, so that everyone felt that they were working towards a common goal.
The creative team at PDS proposed a brand strategy under the British Swimming brand that successfully differentiated each division using colour along with a co-ordinated range of silhouettes representing each sport. This helped each discipline to retain its unique status whilst also being easily identified as part of the wider British Swimming family.
At first, the new brand identity was rolled out across the events programme for each discipline in a range of materials that delivered high-profile and striking branding for events at multiple venues. The use of colour made it clear whether it was a diving, swimming or other types of water-based event.
The creative concepts were so well received by the organisation that they were increasingly used in corporate materials including stationery, business cards, and presentations.
The new brand style was applied to the website to improve its visual impact. PDS has taken the concept further, designing high-impact wide format visuals for the Manchester swimming base of para-swimmers now training for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.
David Nelson (Lead Creative)
Lead Creative
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PDS were able to develop a set of brand guidelines based on the visual identity that they had created which made it easy to use across all media and for all disciplines. The organisation has since commissioned work to create a visual representation of its core mission that brings to life its goal of ‘One team. Winning well. In water.’
A logo was designed to complement this strapline, visualising how all five disciplines work together and this is now being rolled out across corporate communications.
“The design studio at PDS is very creative and they spent a lot of time really understanding our brand and requirements. They asked the right questions and their excellent listening skills helped them to develop several proposed concepts that perfectly represented our values and vision. The branding solution that they created has helped to develop our brand strength whilst bringing the departments across the organisation together and to highlight that we are all working towards a single, common goal.”
Whether you’re looking to refresh your visual identity, create a new brand strategy, or develop a comprehensive marketing campaign, our agencypds team have the skills and experience to bring your vision to life.
We will work closely with you to understand your goals, values, and audience, and develop creative solutions that speak to their unique needs.
Arrange a call with a member of the team today.