Our brand

By 2019 a rising swell of member feedback, from surveys to conversations to ad hoc messages, was telling us that the RCOT felt too safe and secure, and not the bold, dynamic, future-facing organisation members needed it to be.

While they felt supported, they felt we needed to do more to raise the profile of the profession beyond itself, and secure its future by inspiring the next generation of occupational therapists. There was an overwhelming sense that we needed to do the right thing for the profession, leading with passion and pride.

Key themes from what we heard were:

• We focused too much on the practise of occupational therapy (the ‘how’) at the expense of the impact (the ‘why’).
• We took a defensive rather than a leadership position on key issues and were often slow to respond.
• We were focused on the needs of existing members rather than looking to diversify and grow the profession.
• We spoke too much to ourselves and our sector, rather than proudly representing occupational therapy to the wider world.

Our symbol, the phoenix, was proudly worn by many occupational therapists and had a strong heritage. But not all members valued it as highly, and some didn’t recognise it at all when shown it in focus groups. And some saw it as a rather inward- and backward-looking symbol, telling a story really only understood by ourselves and becoming a barrier to those outside the organisation.

Specifically:

• Its links to classical myth and legend felt like a barrier to occupational therapists and clients from non-Western cultures.
• It told a simplistic ‘from the ashes’ story of recovery that didn’t reflect the reality of working with people with disabilities or chronic illness.
• It was rooted in an abstract, symbolic story rather than in the real world, where occupational therapy is so valued.

Put simply, we needed to retain the emotional impact of the phoenix -- a powerful, positive story of the impact occupational therapy can have -- but not the symbol itself, which was becoming a distraction.

Change is never easy or comfortable. We had faced some truths, and now we needed to act on them. That meant devising a process that represented a responsible use of funds, but wasn’t rushed or superficial. We needed to find a process that balanced being consultative and including as many voices as possible; with being dynamic, bold and driving change and momentum.

As a member-led organisation it was right to err on the side of consultation, which meant we sought more input than is typical during a brand refresh. Our Senior Leadership Team and Council, which both included practising Occupational Therapists, were with us on every step of the journey, signing off progress at every stage.

Throughout the process we partnered with a reputable branding agency, with decades of experience in the social good sector; as well as the technical skill and discipline to help us stay on track and deliver against our objectives. They helped us deliver a strong brand idea, informed by what we’d heard, with a look & feel to match.

The work was completed in 2020 & 2021, and then the pandemic struck. This forced us to pause, but it was also an opportunity to take stock of the new brand against the strategy lead by our incoming CEO, Steve Ford. We were able to check in again, asking members and others what they thought of RCOT today, and where they’d like to see us going; to reconfirm that we were heading in the right direction, and ratify the choices we’d made.

The new brand and strategy were launched together, in January 2022.

If we’re going to deliver our new strategy and vision, that people everywhere value the life changing power of occupational therapy, we’re going to have to look outwards beyond the profession, as well as supporting each other within.

That means we need a brand -- a visual identity (a look) and a verbal identity (a voice) -- that enable us to proudly tell the story of what we do to the people who are critical to the profession’s future. Commissioners, policy makers and other healthcare professionals. The next generation of occupational therapists. And the wider world at large -- journalists, news outlets, and the wider public.

Our new brand is designed to make us

• More able to stand out and take a stronger, leadership position for the profession.
• More able to represent and champion a diverse and inclusive profession.
• More focused on telling our story to the wider world, rather than just ourselves.

How? By making the O of Occupation the hero in everything we do and say. The ‘hero’ O is central to our logo. But brands are much more than logos, and the O is too. It’s a storytelling device that can spotlight the individual and societal impact occupational therapy has every day. It’s designed to help us be instantly recognised, and the more we use it, the more familiar it will become – until it’s as familiar and recognisable as our name.

Beyond the logo, we have new ways of representing ourselves and our work. Photography can show occupational therapy in action, but it won’t always be the right tool to showcase the incredible breadth of our profession. Hence our new illustration style, which can help us portray the true diversity of who we are, what we do, and who we reach. Something that is essential to achieving our equity, diversity and inclusion objectives, and reflects what Members have been telling us about making the profession more open and welcoming.

And of course, we have new messages and a new tone of voice too. An essential component of the brand when it comes to communicating our story in words, whether that’s a tweet, an academic paper or a public report.

The brand is not an end in itself. It’s a tool to help us achieve our strategy, to help us raise our profile, making occupational therapy better known and more widely understood, and to grow our member numbers, as well as increase and deepen engagement with our current members. If we achieve our strategic aims, we can safely say that the brand has been successful.

A story that’s just begun

It’s early days for our new strategy and brand. Over the coming months and years both will become more familiar. Our profession will be more understood and valued. We’ll all start to see our hero ‘O’ in more places, proudly standing for occupation, and spotlighting the stories of impact we tell.

And that’s down to all of us, too. Sharing, elevating, and proudly bringing the profession to life.

The more our brand is seen, the more understood the impact of occupation will be, by more, and more kinds of people. We’ve barely begun to explore its potential to tell our story. Today we’re ready to look outward and look forward – to a future where everyone values the life-changing power of what we do.