Rowcroft Hospice, Toucan & Signs Express Collaboration

Rowcroft Hospice had an overwhelmingly positive response to the re-brand and the signage helped them meet many of their original objectives. • Patients and their families commented on how much easier it was to find their way around the Hospice with the new signage in place. In addition, the bright colourful nature of the outdoor signs lifted the feel of the site. • Their shops have become more identifiable on busy high streets and the charity as a whole has a much stronger identity. • The livery on the vehicles increases the recognition of their brand and importantly, it really helps encouraging road users let them out into traffic! Rowcroft Hospice serves the people of South Devon by providing specialist care to patients with progressive, life limiting illnesses. They're not just about beds, cancer and last days; they're about living, family, friends, community, and reconciliation, coping and not coping. They support and enable people to carry on when, perhaps, at the time carrying on seems unthinkable. They are passionate about 'taking care further'. With a primary aim of re-enforcing their brand identity, Rowcroft Hospice contacted Toucan Designs to help them achieve their objectives. Toucan Design are an award winning web design and graphic design agency, based in Exeter, Devon. They deliver a complete and bespoke creative service to businesses operating in a diverse range of sectors at an international, national and regional level. Rowcroft Hospice selected Toucan to undertake the branding project after interviewing a number of South West based creative agencies. They were particularly impressed with Toucan's collaborative approach, feeling that this would sit well with the diverse group of Hospice stakeholders - from clinicians, therapists and support workers, to trustees, fundraisers and volunteers. During a series of brand workshops with these various stakeholders a number of key brand values were discussed and agreed. They were: high quality; people-focused; patient-focused; bold / progressive; caring; innovative; sector leaders. With these key attributes as the starting point, a fresh new brand identity was developed. The new brand identity was applied to a wide range of communications materials, from patient leaflets, to fund-raising material and from a complex website to staff uniforms and signage. Toucan Graphic Design commissioned Signs Express (Exeter) to produce the signage for Rowcroft Hospice following their extensive rebrand. Signs Express had worked with Toucan for more than five years, primarily in collaboration with Exeter City Football Club. This was one of the biggest projects worked on with Toucan and provided a real logistical challenge, needing to be completed in just one weekend. The needs of Rowcroft Hospice and Toucan Design were central throughout the development of the project. Emphasis was placed on providing the client with multiple options, narrowing the selection based on effective budget usage and overall impact. he end result was a variety of internal and external signs for the hospice itself and Rowcroft's shops that looked bright, welcoming and professional, communicating the updated brand values of Rowcroft Hospice effectively. 'The rebrand of Rowcroft Hospice has been one of the most rewarding in our company's 13 year history. At Rowcroft Hospice we found a wonderful team of hard-working professionals who were passionate to deliver the highest quality of care to their patients. The aim of the new brand is to reflect Rowcroft's values and to be as memorable and eye-catching as possible in order to appeal to the diverse stakeholders. We are delighted with the outcome and can only thank the people at Rowcroft who so whole-heartedly embraced the process - the brand couldn't have come to life as it did without their hard work and commitment.' Josh Beadon, Toucan's Creative Director To view Rowcroft Hospice's rebrand and find out more about their services, please visit: http://www.rowcrofthospice.org.uk/