1. Agency;

YCN is working with Endsleigh Insurance to completely re-brand the organisation and re-connect it with its core audience of students, graduates and education professionals. A new visual identity has been developed, along with a new supporting tone of voice guide; and now every element of Endsleigh's customer facing materials are being re-designed and brought into line. The project is ongoing, and this case study will be regularly updated.
 

Backing-up students since 1965
 

Endsleigh was founded in 1965 by the National Union of Students (NUS) with a defining and guiding principle - to provide insurance for students at competitive rates. 
 

Endsleigh took it's name from the NUS's location on Endsleigh street and was established in response to the unfair deals offered by all other insurance providers at the time.
 

Until 2008 Endsleigh maintained a network of branches (many situated in University student unions), but with over 80% of its business coming over the phone or internet a decision was taken to close the branch network.

A brand new brand purpose

Endsleigh's senior management decided to renew the organisation's 'brand purpose' to reflect the changing behaviour of it's customers, and its relationship with them. Working with the brilliant Tom, Tom and Dan (pictured above) at Pipeline they re-defined this central purpose for Endsleigh as being the "Back-up Team for Positive People". This idea of Endsleigh as a positive, active and supporting force in it's customers lives would be put at the heart of everything it did going forward.

Formerly (and formally) Blue and yellow


 

The most recent iteration of the Endsleigh Corporate identity made extensive use of a blue and yellow palette. This look and feel was considered by the Endsleigh team to be outmoded, in light of their new brand-purpose; and that there was scope for creating something fresh in a way that genuinely reinforced the idea of 'the Back-Up Team for Positive People'. 
 

Engaging with core audiences

Endsleigh briefed YCN to create its new visual and verbal identity in a way that would celebrate its new brand purpose. We initially set out to engage a group of creative students and graduates; supporting them in a collective process of developing potential routes for presentation to Endsleigh. 



From here, recent graduate of Bath Spa University Alex Perryman (pictured above) was recruited to work alongside the central YCN team to develop a preferred route.





A flexible family of shapes lock up behind a lower-case logotype; nodding to Endsleigh's ambition to back up its customers. Student and graduate illustrators would be briefed to take these shapes and bring them to life in myriad subsequent communication. Endsleigh has a unique ongoing opportunity to engage and support the most creative members of it's audience.
 

A bold new palette for a bold new outlook

...blue and yellow becoming purple and green.
 

A canvas for talent

From envelopes to business cards, claims forms to press adverts; Endsleigh's extensive commuications are now a canvas giving profile and support to students and graduates -  an evolving and inspiring manifestation of it's new brand purpose.

Images, above, by recent Wolverhampton University graduate George Myers.





Images, above, by recent Brighton University graduate Ciara Phelan.




Image, above, by recent Leeds graduate Jay Cover.




Statement by the Endsleigh Managing Director Ian Passmore set in new primary typeface Sari.




Illustrations by Ciara Phelan and Jamie Brown in internal newsletter.
 

Owen Richards

In keeping with the support and back-up of emerging graphic and illustrative talent, up and coming photographer Owen Richards was commissioned to shoot a bank of images for use where appropriate.


 

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