Henshaws

The challenge presented by the charity was multifaceted: to explore their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in the digital landscape while delving deep into their internal processes, values, and brand essence. Our mission was to propose a solution that aligned with their budgets, priorities, growth plan, ambitions, and the overarching vision of unifying the four pillars of the charity within a single, cohesive ‘One Henshaws’ model.

Upon conducting comprehensive audits covering website traffic, SEO, social media landscape and content creation, it became evident that brand consistency was going to be just the initial phase of the project. Evolving the charity’s presence required Henshaws' identity, digital platform, and marketing strategies to be aligned. The website was outdated and did not effectively cater to their accessibility requirements or support their extensive digital marketing and fundraising campaigns, which were integral to generating donations.

Introducing an evolved Henshaws brand identity and committing to cohesive - yet distinctive in their own rights - sub-brands roll-outs became imperative for maximising brand awareness and fostering a unified visual communication approach for all stakeholders - service users, donors, volunteers, art makers, students, visitors and staff. Henshaws presence in both online and offline channels called for a streamlined brand identity, digital strategy, and ongoing design support assumed great importance in propelling the charity forward. The goal was to ensure seamless communication across all departments within Henshaws while maintaining the ability to differentiate each area of the charity effectively and resonate with individual target audiences across the four core areas of their mission.

Recognising the budget constraints of a charitable organisation like Henshaws, we proposed a services retainer package tailored to their needs. This package allowed them to leverage our design, development, and digital marketing teams as required while optimising their available resources.

Henshaws' previous website not only posed responsiveness issues for users but also failed to operate efficiently for the organisation itself. It lacked essential functionality, accessibility features and a unified 'One Henshaws' identity. Additionally, managing and prioritising the abundance of content from the old website presented a significant challenge. Our digital audit played a crucial role in identifying content that was essential for migration and distinguishing content that was outdated or no longer relevant.

Our highly skilled team of developers embarked on a comprehensive accessibility journey, ensuring that their custom-built code not merely complied with, but was actually purpose-built with accessibility standards in mind, exceeding traditional site build expectations. Given Henshaws' fundamental commitment to serving individuals with visual impairments and other disabilities, creating a safe and accessible digital space for their users and staff was of paramount importance.

The refreshed brand identity was an evolution of the recognisable Henshaws logo, extended to create sub-brands for each core area of the charity. This approach ensured that all internal and external messaging aligned closely with the main Henshaws brand while incorporating unique design elements that could be easily recognised across online and offline marketing channels. The ongoing design retainer and digital marketing strategy have proven to be highly successful, and we are thrilled to continue our daily support.

The recent website launch went off without a hitch, and we are more than proud of the final product. Collaborating with the Henshaws team, we streamlined the site map to provide a seamless, informative, and engaging user experience. Innovative accessibility features such as light/dark mode, compatibility with popular screen readers, and adherence to accessibility requirements in terms of colour, font, and imagery were incorporated to enhance the experience for the visually impaired community. Throughout the design, development, and content creation process, our focus remained on captivating users, educating them about Henshaws, and ultimately spreading awareness to drive donations.

Every team member involved in this project, from Designers and Developers to Digital Marketers and Account Managers, embarked on a personal journey of evolution. We helped transform the Henshaws brand, providing the charity with an identity it truly deserves while growing and evolving alongside it. We meticulously crafted a tone of voice and user journey that resonated with Henshaws' audience, effectively translating this evolution throughout the brand development process, website design and development, and reinforcing it in their social media presence without deviating from their established reputation and heritage.

Henshaws has taught us to think beyond conventional boundaries, urging us to engage not only with our eyes but to utilise all our senses in delivering a final product that goes ‘beyond expectations’. This invaluable lesson is one we are grateful to have learned and a trait we are committed to nurturing for the benefit of both our new and existing clients.

Discover more in our latest blog about what we learned during the journey and the accessibility techniques we utilised to ensure Henshaws’ new website goes beyond expectations: