As January 2021 comes to an end, we’ve been spending some time reflecting on the ‘annus horribilis’ that was 2020. In a year of such suffering for so many, IE Brand and IE Digital counts itself amongst the very lucky few that have managed to get through the year largely unscathed.

Like all businesses back in March, we didn’t know what to expect, and had to find new ways to work from home and interact with our clients. But thanks to the hard work of our team and the resilience of our clients, we’ve been able to offer an uninterrupted service throughout the pandemic. In fact, we’re proud to say that last year saw some of our very best work.

In 2020 our projects included:

• Rebrand and website for Resuscitation Council UK. A healthcare charity that’s working towards a day when everyone in society has the skills they need to save a life.
• Full rebrand for the Royal Academy of Engineering who are harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.
• Brand and website for Bowel Research UK – a merger between two respected bowel research charities that are dedicated to finding effective treatments for bowel cancer and other bowel diseases.
• Campaign design for the Royal Air Forces Association to promote free training and online mental wellbeing support for both serving and non-serving members of the RAF family.
• Brand and website for Agapé UK – a Christian charity that’s been helping to bring people together and to transform lives for over 50 years. They were also IE’s very first client, nearly 27 years ago.
• Brand and website for Anawim – a charity that helps women in and around Birmingham by offering a safe space for those struggling with trauma, the criminal justice system, domestic abuse, addiction, mental health, and sexual exploitation.
• And a rebrand and digital consultancy, website UX and UI design for UCCF: The Christian Unions. Christian Unions are student-led mission teams that operate at the heart of university and college campuses and support student leaders in their work. 

During 2020, we were also proud to welcome the British Psychological Society (BPS), Vita Health and AHECS (Association of Higher Education Careers Services) to our award-winning client list, as well as undertaking a rebrand for a hospice brand (still under wraps) and a forthcoming community engagement brand for Herefordshire Council. 

All of which was in addition to serving our longstanding clients.

And, the icing on the cake… when we returned from the Christmas break, the IE team heard that our rebrands for Resuscitation Council UK and Clergy Support Trust have been shortlisted for three prestigious pan-European branding awards. We’ve bagged two nominations for ‘Best Visual Identity’ (one in the charity sector and a second in the health sector), and another cross-sector shortlisting for ‘Best Naming Strategy’ in the 2021 Transform Awards.

So we continue 2021 optimistic about the future. It’s not going to be easy for our charity, health and education clients to recover, as you battle to replace lost income and meet increased demand, but we stand ready to help you through these unprecedented times.