Hippocampe

Branded a one-of-a-kind, inclusive youth dance group
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Brief:

  • Create the Hippocampe brand, including the look, tone and communications guidelines

  • Use my network to collaborate with a logo designer who will understand and connect with the values and mission of the brand to bring authenticity and meaning to the project

  • Audience research to understand how we can fill the gap in the market and how to communicate the incredible impact Hippocampe could have

  • Created a brand that is going to make A LOT of noise, and break norms within the industry

  • Developed a clear communications strategy for a new, industry-changing concept

  • Created a community for those who need it most

The Challenge

The founders of Hippocampe, Rendez-vous Dance, create projects that shine a light on past and current stories of the LGBTQIA+ community; and actively work towards hiring inclusively - providing opportunities for everyone within an elitist industry.

Throughout their work, they found that providing opportunities when people were entering and within their careers wasn’t enough - as too many people were already snubbed away from the industry when they first became inspired by it.

And so - they created Hippocampe. A youth dance group where dance has no gender, ethnicity or cultural boundaries - it’s inclusive to all.

Firstly, Hippocampe does this by providing a safe space for children aged 11-18 who want to experience their creativity and ambition without barriers whilst learning from award-winning dance practitioners.

Next, Hippocampe is changing the dance industry for the better - advocating for a more inclusive sector, enabling non-binary voices and stories to be represented and visible.

They came to me to create the brand, tone of voice and communications strategy for this industry-changing concept.

Logo Design by Lee Peacock

The Solution

Audience Research:

Audience research was essential to form the Hippocampe brand.

From speaking with our different audience groups, we were able to understand how to communicate the brand's mission, without excluding others from being a part of our inclusive creative space. We were also able to understand the appetite for the group within the area, and therefore, the growth potential.

Overall, our research formed the heart and essence of Hippocampe.

Logo Design:​

Hippocampe had two requirements for their brand look:

  • Make it clear that 'hippocampe' means ‘seahorse’ in French; a name that was created by Hippocampe’s French founder’s love for the fact that the seahorse is the only mammal that carries the child - a nod to the fact that our youth dance company will not follow gender norms

  • Have our mission of being inclusive to the LGBTQIA+ come across without isolating other audience groups​

When working on brand projects, I collaborate with designers that I know have a connection to the brand, industry and/or mission. I reached out to designer Lee Peacock, whom I knew would be perfect for the project because of his talent in logo design, but also because of his previous work and volunteering within the local community and charities. Because of this, you can see Lee’s passion and understanding of the brand’s mission across his designs.

Working as project manager and strategist, I worked with Lee to communicate the client’s vision while ensuring the research we’d gathered from our target audience was considered. Lee’s connection to the project’s mission, design skills and talent for looking at the bigger picture was integral to this project.

Brand Bible:

From the first meeting with Hippocampe, we knew that their elevator pitch was going to be a difficult one to capture - and one that not everyone would understand.

Working with the client and constantly leaning back on our audience research, we formed a tone of voice and communications strategy which confidently conveyed what Hippocampe is all about.

Illustration by Cave & Sky