What it had to solve
Design an identity for the speech-and-sign programme, which combines speaking and signing to help people with learning or speaking difficulties, that reflects its mission of giving everyone a voice.
The idea
A logo that draws a speech bubble in the gap between thumb and forefinger — sign language and speech in one proud, positive symbol participants and teachers can wear.
How it works
MultiAdaptor dropped 'Charity' from the name, prefixed communications with 'Let's Talk' to shift the tone from institutional to conversational, and built the logo from a graphic thumb and forefinger whose gap forms a speech bubble — a proud positive symbol for qualified teachers to wear and for accredited learning materials to carry. A sans-serif typeface and a bright, changing palette rolled out across all touchpoints, with the hand symbol in yellow.
What it did
The identity rolled out across Makaton's communications and website, turning the symbol into a wearable marker of qualified, certified teaching.
Background
The Makaton Charity helps people with learning or speaking difficulties communicate by combining speech and signing. London consultancy MultiAdaptor was briefed to design an identity reflecting its mission of giving everyone a voice — and made a structural decision first: drop 'Charity' from the brand name entirely.
The reasoning: Makaton's primary audience aren't donating to the charity, they're taking part in the programme, and the stronger, simpler name avoids confusion about its role. A 'Let's Talk' prefix now leads communications, shifting the tone of voice from institutional to conversational.
The logo carries the idea: a graphic image of a thumb and forefinger whose meeting creates a subtle speech bubble in the middle of them — a 'proud positive symbol' designed to be worn by qualified and certified teachers and used on accredited learning materials.
A simple sans-serif typeface and a bright, changing colour palette run across communications materials and the website, with the hand-and-speech-bubble symbol appearing in yellow throughout. The identity has rolled out across all touchpoints.
Why it lands
Removing 'Charity' repositioned the brand around the people it serves rather than the money it raises.
The two-finger speech bubble is literal enough to explain itself and dignified enough to wear.
A yellow badge for certified teachers turns the identity into a quality mark families can look for.
What you can take
When your brand's audience participates rather than donates, strip the fundraising framing out of the name and give them a badge instead.
Since then
The identity rolled out across all touchpoints in 2017; the source reports no uptake figures.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE