When supporting any purpose-driven organisation through a brand development journey, our primary goal is to build a brand that resonates with its intended audience, enabling maximum impact for those who would most benefit from the product/service. Therefore, one of the most important things that can be done to produce excellent creative outcomes is to ensure representation of the intended audience’s views, insights and creative input forms part of the development process.By including the intended audience in the creative process, they can provide valuable insights and feedback about what is important to them. This helps to ensure that the final brand, and the product or service, accurately represents the audience and meets their needs and preferences.
When creating a brand for an organisation that serves young people, it’s crucial to include young people themselves in the co-creation process. Here’s why.
Five Reasons To Co-Create With Young People
1. Representation matters. Young people want to see themselves reflected in the brands they interact with, and for those brands to feel representative of the communities they serve. They want to see people who look like them, have similar experiences and share their values.
2. Young people are a valuable source of insight and ideas. They have a unique perspective on the world and can offer valuable feedback on everything from the brand’s messaging to its visual identity. By including them in the co-creation process, you can tap into this valuable resource and create a brand that truly resonates with them.
3. Co-creation can lead to a deeper sense of ownership and engagement. For example, when young people are involved in brand development, they feel a sense of ownership over the final product. This can lead to deeper engagement and buy-in from the target audience.
4. Involving young people in the co-creation process can also help to create brand loyalty. They will feel a sense of pride and connection to the brand, making them more likely to continue to support the organisation in the future.
5. Including young people from various backgrounds in the co-creation process can also help to ensure that the brand is inclusive and sensitive to the diverse needs of the community it serves.
Some Ideas For Co-Creating With Young People Include:
Collaborative Sketching
A workshop where participants sit in a circle and take turns sketching different parts of the logo. As each person adds to the sketch, the logo slowly takes shape through collaboration.
Emoji Identity Building
A collaborative session where participants create brand personality using only emojis. This is a fun, lighthearted and accessible way to engage young people in co-creation.
Logo Storytelling
As a group, participants create a story representing the organisation and a logo that visualises the story.
Creating a Brand Story
Participants work with an arts leader, such as a stand-up comedian, to develop their personal stories which explain how the organisation’s brand has impacted them.
Community Identity Exploration
This workshop would focus on exploring the community that the new brand will represent. Participants would work in small groups to research the community’s history, culture, and values and then use that information to inform their creative symbol development.
At Jérrard Wayne, equity, diversity, and inclusion are central to our brand development approach. Part of our commitment to EDI includes ensuring the representation of an intended audience within our process through co-creation, as well as insight gathering, which leads to a stronger and more effective brand that resonates.
