Animal welfare and conservation organisation ifaw unveils rebrand

“Our biggest challenge has been not doing the work but talking about it. We were finding it hard to convey why saving one elephant is important to a person who lives in a city of more than 9 million. Or how drone technology could be used to help save marine mammals. Or how detection dogs can help us save koalas,” said Azzedine Downes, president and CEO of ifaw. “At the same time, it’s clear to us that people care and they want to help. So, I knew it was time for a brand and website that better connected people to the work. A brand and website that’s like us — bold, compelling and full of good stories.”

In April 2018, ifaw partnered with Base Design, an international design agency that’s worked with clients including JFK Terminal 4, The New York Times, Wellesley College, Fondation Louis Vuitton and the Museum of Modern Art, to redesign the brand and bring it to life online.

“We took a critical look at the animal welfare and conservation sectors, and we saw a similar approach, both visually and editorially, across the board,” said Min Lew, partner and creative lead at Base Design. “Millennials and younger generations in particular respond to action not just shots of animals in the wild. And they want relevant and fresh thinking, not simply a plea for help. The new branding breaks those entrenched branding codes to show that while ifaw protects animals, ifaw is people, doing the work and creating change.”

Brand concept

Together with ifaw, Base conceived of ‘animals and people thriving together’ as the driving brand concept. The typography of the new logo is bold but using lowercase shows ifaw is accessible as an organisation. By underlining the “a,” the logo emphasises that all the work ifaw does centres on animals.

Photography is also a major component of the brand. The art direction captures the on-the-ground, raw and active spirit of the work, creating a look that showcases the organisation’s distinctly innovative solutions to complex problems.

“ifaw’s website is one of the key communication elements for the new brand, expressing the important connections that are vital to the organisation: how humans and animals thrive together and how local actions impact global efforts,” said Mirek Nisenbaum, partner at Base Design. “Base designed a digital experience that delivers immersive, emotionally engaging and informative storytelling to move people towards action.”

Fifty years ago, ifaw took on one problem that threatened one species in one part of the world. With the European ban on whitecoat harp seal products in 1983, it saved more than one-million seal pups. Since then, ifaw has taken on more problems threatening more species in more than 40 countries.

ifaw’s Southern Africa office, based in Cape Town, has been operational for almost 25 years and is managing projects in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.