Introducing our new brand: we’re more, together

Today marks an exciting moment for ACO. We are proud to unveil our new visual identity, and we wanted to take a moment to share the story behind it.

Why now?

If you have ever attended one of our events, spoken to a member of our team or spent time with our network, you will know that ACO is a warm, energetic and deeply connected organisation. For a long time, our brand did not reflect that. Our previous identity had served us well, but it had become outdated and was not fit for purpose in a digital world. It felt too corporate, too rigid, and did not truly capture the nature of our members’ work or the spirit of what we do.

We knew it was time for a change.

Listening first

We did not want to rebrand in isolation. Before a single design decision was made, we spent time listening. Red Stone, the agency who designed our new identity, ran brand workshops with our members, trustees, corporate partners and ACO staff to understand how the organisation was perceived today and what people wanted it to become in the future.

The feedback was consistent and, in many ways, energising. People told us that ACO felt dependable and trusted, but that the brand lacked the warmth, humanity and distinctiveness that they actually experience when they engage with us. That gave us a clear direction.

What has changed?

Our orange stays. It was identified throughout the process as our strongest and most ownable asset, and it sits at the heart of the new identity. Around it, we have built something bolder, warmer and more distinctive. A new logo, a new typeface, a fuller colour palette, graphic assets and a comprehensive brand toolkit that will help us communicate more consistently and confidently across everything we do.

The new identity has also been developed to meet WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards across digital and print, because we believe good design should work for everyone.

What it means for our members

At its heart, this rebrand is about better reflecting the network it represents. Our members do extraordinary work supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society, and we want a brand they feel genuinely proud to be associated with. The new identity is designed to be a platform that member organisations can sit alongside with confidence, not something that overshadows them.

A thank you

None of this would have been possible without Red Stone, who took on the entire project pro bono through the Media Trust volunteering platform. Their creativity, expertise and commitment to getting it right made this possible, and we are enormously grateful to both organisations for their generosity and support.

Our new proposition

Everything we have built points back to a simple idea that sits at the heart of what ACO does. We are an essential network of charities harnessing collective expertise, because we are stronger, smarter and more effective together.

We’re more, together.

We hope you enjoy the new look as much as we do. As always, if you have any thoughts or feedback, please contact us at info@aco.uk.net.