Paul Cheal, CEO of Big Issue Group, explains. “Most people readily associate the Big Issue with marginalized people selling a magazine on the streets. Over the last 30 years, we have enabled over 100,000 people to earn over £144m in collective income.
“But there is so much more to the Big Issue. Our business is changing lives. Our new five-year strategy brings all our work together. From our work in the social investment sector through Big Issue Invest, supporting more than 500 social enterprises since 2005, to new partnerships such as launching a fleet of Big Issue eBikes in Bristol to create jobs in local communities for marginalized people. To achieve our new mission, we must expand our service offer to reach and deliver impact to as many people as we can.”
Jay Hussain, JKR creative director, says the idea of “social scaffolding,” reflecting the support Big Issue Group provides people and communities to grow and build, was an apt visual metaphor, especially given that the brand’s most recognizable brand asset is the Big Issue brick. By giving the bricks and other aspects of the brand perspective—and thereby, scale and dimension—plus movement, it’s easy to appreciate the building blocks that the organization provides.
“The dynamic, moving identity transforms [the brick] into a distinctive language of extrusion and 3D building blocks. Designed to come to life in a digital space, each sub-brand within the Group has its own unique color, icon and kinetic behavior in motion. In addition, perspective and scale have been used to bring a sense of depth and dynamism to the typography. The overall impact creates an evolved core brand identity whilst giving each sub-brand its own distinctive look and feel,” Hussain adds.