Challenge
The Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) invited us to pitch for the branding of the Small Business Charter.
Solution
Despite an incredibly short timescale to prepare for the pitch, we beat off some stiff competition to win the account. During our follow-up meeting, it transpired that CABS wanted us to present at Downing Street to a 25-strong committee made up of business school deans, entrepreneurs, a lord and a knight of the realm, as well as other senior figures in the education sector… so no pressure!
Ahead of the meeting, we took it upon ourselves to review our presentation to the board and wandered down a corridor inside Number 10 to find somewhere where we could review our presentation. We did this for 30 minutes in a lovely room with a comfortable sofa and a bureau, before being ushered to the State Dining Room to present our designs. Our presentation went well. It was only later that it transpired that the cosy room we had been preparing in happened to be the Chancellor’s Office!
The identity of the Small Business Charter centres around a ‘C’ icon – a proportional representation of micro businesses in the UK. The development and thinking behind the design stems from a statement made by Lord Young, the Prime Minister’s advisor on Enterprise.
Result
The brand is used as a marque of accreditation for UK business schools and as a brand is continuing to be recognised and respected as a sign of excellence.
