Leonard Cheshire exists to improve the life choices of people with disability. They support thousands of people living with disabilities through a wide range of care and support services across the UK. Leonard Cheshire operate over 200 care homes, have over 7,000 members of staff and 3,000 active volunteers.
A single destination for branded material for Leonard Cheshire
31st May 2019
Challenges
Leonard Cheshire have staff across the UK who need marketing material. As there was no centralised system for producing artwork it has been difficult for them to maintain brand consistency. Many staff lacked the skills required to make their own material using design software, meaning that material was being produced that did not meet the brand requirements.
Leonard Cheshire were going through a rebrand process and wanted to help people across the organisation feel engaged and enthused by the new brand. They wanted a set of new branded templates which people could use to instantly create and order on-brand material. They also wanted people to easily use images from their digital asset management system, Asset Bank, inside the new templates.
As a charity representing people with disabilities it was hugely important that the system was exceptionally easy to use and had the ability to be optimised for accessibility at a later date.
Solutions
Using BrandStencil, our artwork automation platform, we created Leonard Cheshire an end-to end system for accessing, making and ordering artwork. We integrated with their existing systems to streamline all aspects of the process and tie in with the new brand:
- Easy access to BrandStencil through Single Sign On, so users can login with their existing organisational credentials
- A name and identity for the platform with a custom theme to match the new brand and name ‘Click and Create’
- Controlled tone of voice on event posters through creative template options
- Allow the end-user to choose from a set of images stored within their existing external image library, Asset Bank.
- Link in with their print supplier, CDL, to send orders directly to their sales team for fulfilment.
Easy access to BrandStencil
End-users at Leonard Cheshire are able to login to their BrandStencil account with their existing login, they access the platform through a link in their intranet and are automatically logged in. As well as making it easy for people to get into the system it massively reduces the user management time as this is all taken care of within existing user management processes.
‘Click and Create’ custom theme
We created a custom theme for the Leonard Cheshire BrandStencil account to make the user experience feel integrated with the brand. The platform was renamed to ‘Click and Create’, a ‘single destination for promotional materials - whether digital, printed or merchandise’ to make it feel personal to the organisation.
Controlled tone of voice
Controlling tone of voice can be difficult in editable templates, to help end-users embrace the new brand we enabled the ability to choose from a series of event types which controls the heading copy and graphic. This simple device enabled Leonard Cheshire to introduce the new brand tone of voice and imagery in a fun, simple way. A range of colour options and shapes enable further customisation whilst still remaining strongly on brand.
Choose images from Asset Bank
We created a seamless experience for selecting images hosted within Leonard Cheshire’s Asset Bank image library. The integration means that the end-user can select images from within a pre-defined Asset Bank folder (or folders) from within BrandStencil, right at the point they need to use them.
We can even restrict the images they can see and access, based on their permissions within Asset Bank. This means that Leonard Cheshire are able to take advantage of Asset Bank’s sophisticated image management and permissions structure to ensure that all images used have the correct consent. This was especially important to Leonard Cheshire as they use images of service users within artwork.
Order online with a centralised supplier
We created an online ordering process where end-users can order artwork directly from BrandStencil. The paper type, weight and finish for artwork is specified by the Admin, making it really easy for the end-user to place an order. The expected turnaround time is also displayed so they know when to expect the order delivery. Ordering can be switched on or off on a template by template basis so is completely controlled by the Product Owners.
All orders are sent by email to Leonard Cheshire’s supplier. The end-user also receives an email notification of the order and it’s stored in their order history along with an order number.
Ready made section
We enhanced the ‘ready made’ or assets section of BrandStencil to make it more effective for ready made products. All ready made products have optional ordering, in the same ways as artwork, or can be directly downloaded from the platform.
Results
In the first three months from launch, people across the organisation have been creating and ordering artwork. There were 118 business cards created and 98 posters. That’s around 3 per day that have required no time or resource from the marketing team as well as an instant reach and engagement with the new brand. Across the organisation they are on target to save around 19 work weeks per year compared to the old method - a fantastic achievement.
“Working with the Brand Stencil team has been a pleasure. They’ve provided us with a superb product underpinned by excellent service. It’s been great to tap into their knowledge, skills, patience and ability to think around problems and come up with practical solutions.”
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