Introducing a Fresh Look for 2023
We are thrilled to unveil our rebranded identity, marking a significant milestone in our journey to better serve our SMS community.
Our last brand update in 2017 brought us a refreshed logo and an engaging narrative behind it, which beautifully encapsulated the essence of SMS. Nigel Over’s brilliant storytelling brought life to our logo, which featured a sun, a smiling moon, 17 solar flares, and 11 stars (representing the 11th arm of chromosome 17 where the deletion occurs).
But as we continue to evolve, we recognise the need for a fresh start to better align with our goals and values. Here are the reasons behind our decision to rebrand and the exciting changes we’ve made:
1. Simplifying Our Name
Our journey towards rebranding began with the recognition that our name, The Smith-Magenis Syndrome Foundation UK, was quite a mouthful. In an effort to make our name more accessible, memorable, and easier to pronounce we have now shortened it to The SMS Foundation UK. We believe this change will help us reach a wider audience and make it easier for people to engage with our cause.
2. Crafting a Clearer Strapline
While our previous strapline, ‘Connecting Families, Raising Awareness, Building Futures,’ aptly reflected our core objectives, we felt it could be clearer and more in line with our mission, and vision statement ‘Every person with Smith-Magenis Syndrome shall have a fulfilling life within a supportive and understanding community’.
After careful consideration, we settled on the new strapline: ‘Supporting SMS families for a positive future.’ This succinctly conveys our commitment to empowering SMS families and individuals for a brighter tomorrow.
3. Developing a 15-second Elevator Pitch
One of our primary goals was to create a concise and informative elevator pitch that could effectively introduce SMS to someone unfamiliar with the condition. We felt it was important that our 15-second pitch included the key symptoms, rarity, complexity, and lifelong support required. We aimed to strike a balance between being honest about the challenges of SMS and providing reassurance to those facing a new diagnosis.
15-second Elevator Pitch:
Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) is a rare condition that occurs one in every 15-25,000 births. People with SMS have complex needs and behaviours, along with a learning disability that can range from mild to profound. It is a lifelong condition that will always need extra support.
4. Refreshing Our Visual Identity
The world of design and branding has evolved, favouring cleaner, simpler, and more versatile logos. The visual identity of an organisation plays a crucial role in conveying its message and values. After seeking professional advice from brand and marketing experts, we decided to simplify and modernise our visual identity to align with current design trends.
The first-ever SMS Foundation logo had been hand-drawn with a sun as the background, and a smiling moon placed centrally on top of it. We refreshed the original logo in 2015 softening the colour palette and adding the strapline ‘Connecting Families, Raising Awareness, Building Futures’.
In 2017, we decided to revisit our logo and brand as we were in the process of updating our inventory of branded merchandise. It presented us with an opportunity to give our visual identity a more modern and up-to-date look and feel.
We digitally redesigned the logo, incorporating some key changes. We increased the number of solar flares in the logo from the original 16 to signify chromosome 17, where the genetic deletion occurs. Additionally, we introduced 11 stars into the graphic icon, representing the 11th arm of chromosome 17, further emphasising the significance of this genetic location.
During the crafting of our 5-year development strategy, we opted to refresh our visual identity to align with the upcoming changes. We felt that whilst our logo carried significance, it had become somewhat dated and intricate over time.
Our new logo retains the core elements of the sun and moon but in a cleaner, more streamlined form. The sun in our logo, almost resembling a bright flower, reflects the bright and sunny aspects of the SMS personalities we cherish within our community. We have also updated the color palette opting for a stronger, brighter, and more approachable blue and yellow combination. This redesign allows for greater versatility in our branding efforts and gives our logo a more friendly and memorable feel.
5. Aligning with a 5-Year Development Strategy
We believe that this rebranding effort will enable us to better serve our SMS community, raising more awareness, connecting families, and building brighter futures for individuals with SMS. Furthermore, our rebranding efforts go hand in hand with the launch of our new 5-year development strategy. This ambitious plan outlines our commitment to delivering vital support and services to everyone within our SMS community.
Supporting SMS Families for a Positive Future: Our 5-Year Development Strategy