A brighter path to wellbeing: Introducing Step One Charity’s new brand

byIsaac Mann/February 26, 2024/inNews

Step One Charity is excited to unveil our fresh new look, reflecting our commitment to mental health and wellbeing across Devon.

For those unfamiliar with us, Step One is an independent charity providing comprehensive mental health and wellbeing support services across Devon. These include recovery and rehabilitation at our independent inpatient hospital, supported living housing, one-to-one support in the community and group-based peer support and activities.

Our values are

Valuing everyone
We give people the space and support they need to reach their full potential. This means creating an environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated. We always start with the person’s situation and needs, building from there with energy. We ensure everyone has a voice.

Being compassionate
We have a genuine ability to listen and understand how people feel and we use that ability to support them with kindness and compassion.

Working together
We collaborate well with each other and partner organisations, ensuring that everyone has the information they need to support people effectively.

Making a difference
We are committed to continuously improving and developing our specialist services, ensuring they are fit for purpose and making a positive difference to people. Our dedication extends to making an impact by advocating for those in need, being trauma informed and engaging with our community.

Being adaptable
We are courageous and adaptable in our pursuit to improve access and the quality of our people-centered services, continuously learning, innovating, and persevering when faced with challenges. We feel safe to raise issues and work in an environment where we learn from our mistakes.

Why did we rebrand?

We decided to refresh our brand for several important reasons:

To reflect our values and growing impact

As our charity has evolved, reaching more people in Devon, our rebrand aims to create a visual identity that is more consistent with our values whilst reflecting the wide-ranging and evolving specialist support we offer. Our goal is to be visible and accessible to both people who need support, and people who want to support us, ensuring our appearance mirrors the positive impact we make on people and communities across Devon every day.

To create a warm and welcoming space

We aimed to mirror the warmth and compassion of our staff, ensuring people we support experience kindness at every turn. Our person-centered approach places people at the heart of everything we do. It’s all about creating a welcoming space where everyone feels comfortable taking their own unique steps toward their mental wellness journey.

To reflect voices from within

During the rebranding process, we talked to our incredible staff who shared stories of pride in their roles and the positive changes they bring to people’s lives. This led our local agency to describe our Step One team as ‘bright, bold, and brave’ — a spirit we’ve applied into our new look.

Key words and quotes staff used to describe Step One Charity during the rebrand process, reflecting who we are, what we do, what we care about and why Step One matters:

Passionate, flexible, adaptable, supportive, empowering, empathetic, person centered, welcoming, friendly, belonging, warm, unique, real, personal, human, professional, partnership, inclusive, holistic, confidence-giving, independence, recovery-focused, non-judgemental.

“Alive, something is lit inside you again. You can bring your passion here and it gets used.” – Eilis

“Caring – I see it in the people every day.” – Andrew

“It’s real, authentic and person-centered.” – Connor

“Purpose driven. Our staff want to make a positive impact on other people’s lives and our local community. They’re heroic people.” – Ben

To strengthen connection with our community

We aimed to create a brand that is more welcoming, inclusive, and reflective of the diversity of our community. Our new brand is more relatable, understandable, and speaks directly to the needs of our audience.

To increase community fundraising efforts

Our belief is that our new brand will attract more people to our charity, build stronger relationships, and raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing in Devon. Our aim is for this to lead to increased fundraising involvement and a wider audience being reached.

Fundamentally, our rebrand isn’t just about a new appearance; it’s a reflection of our values and evolving commitment to making a meaningful difference. We’re still Step One, but more consistent and we hope, more recognisable.

What’s new about our brand?

Our new brand features:

A warm and inviting colour palette which is more vibrant and engaging, better reflecting the warmth and compassion of our organisation, whilst retaining our professionalism.
Hand-drawn elements which symbolise the unique journey of support we provide to each person, emphasising our flexibility and adaptability in tailoring our services to meet their specific needs.
The tagline “A brighter path to wellbeing” which captures the heart of our mission and our commitment to helping people achieve their potential and live a fulfilling life.

How will our new brand help us?

We believe that our new brand will help us to:

Attract more people to our charity and services including those who are struggling with mental health and wellbeing challenges.
Build stronger relationships with our partners, including local businesses and community groups.
Raise more awareness of mental health and wellbeing in Devon, and promoting the importance of seeking support.
Increase community fundraising efforts by making us more visible and engaging to potential donors.
Connect with a wider audience, including those who may not be familiar with our charity or the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

Ben Greaves, chief executive of Step One Charity, said:

“We’re thrilled to unveil our brand refresh, which reflects our unwavering commitment to making a difference in the lives of people struggling with mental health and wellbeing across Devon. Our aim is to ensure that every person that comes to us for support feels welcomed, valued, and empowered to take control of their mental health journey, and this transformation helps us to convey that.

At the end of June 2023 1.75 million people were in contact with NHS mental health services across the UK – this equates to approximately 30,000 people in Devon. We want to help many more people by growing awareness of Step One and we believe our fresh new looks will help us achieve this.”

What you can do to support Step One Charity

We encourage you to:

Explore our new website which acts as a great digital home for Step One. Here you’ll find information about our services and how you can get involved. You can also donate to support our work.
Engage with our posts on social media. Follow us on Instagram here, Facebook here, or LinkedIn here.
Consider signing up to one of our fundraising challenges. Your contribution will help us continue to provide vital support to people struggling with mental health challenges. Find more information here and via our social media pages.
Spread the word about our new brand and what we do!

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

The Step One Charity Team

Step One is currently looking for passionate individuals to join our Board of Trustees, including a new Chair to lead us into the future. As we continue to support people across Devon through our vital mental health and wellbeing services, your expertise can make a lasting difference and help to shape our future.

Walking and wellbeing: A Q&A with Dee Allbrook

September 26, 2024

Meet Dee Allbrook, a Recovery Practitioner here at Step One. Amongst many things, Dee hosts a number of our BeWell@StepOne peer support groups and wellbeing activities. We recently sat down with her and had a chat about walking and the wellbeing benefits it can provide.

A brighter path to wellbeing: Introducing Step One Charity’s new brand

Our values are