The Brief
How do we reposition this Sussex meat box scheme and communicate its ethics to a diverse audience?
The Solution
We needed to re-think the name “Meat Share”, and conjure an identity which invoked connectedness with the local community and the vibrant biodiversity of the Sussex Downs.
Background
Sussex Grazed is part of the Changing Chalk project, a partnership of organisations working together to reverse the decline of the fragile chalk grasslands while connecting local communities to the nationally significant landscape on their doorstep.
Through the project’s discovery journey, we learnt that there is more variety of plants in a square meter of the Sussex Downs chalk grassland than in the rainforest. But unlike other habitats which are best left alone, the chalk grassland thrives through a symbiotic relationship with grazing animals like sheep and cows.
By grazing off bigger or more dominant plants they make room for a wide range of plants to
spring forth while fertilising the soil. This encourages biodiversity of wildlife and plants, reduces the use of chemicals, improves the soil quality (encouraging carbon capture) and supports the chalklands, which for decades have filtered and protected the water supply.
Meat sold through the scheme also seeks to increase the amount of high welfare, grazing livestock entering the local food market. This will allow local people to enjoy delicious and sustainably reared lamb and beef whilst supporting the local farmers involved with a fair price for their meat.
All factors that had to be communicated through our creative solution.
Our Approach
Sussex Grazed isn’t just another farming initiative; it’s a green revolution with heart. Dedicated to delivering locally sourced, ethically produced meat to local communities, it’s on a mission to nourish both people and the planet.
Sussex Grazed isn’t just about meat. It’s about stewardship, conservation, and community. It’s about connecting the Sussex Chalklands with the spirited Brighton community. And it’s about advocating for a more sustainable, conscientious approach to food production and consumption.
The brand also had to be friendly and approachable, while being memorable and recognisable.
We settled on the name “Sussex Grazed”. It helps to anchor the initiative in its habitat, clearly communicating the USP of the brand and appealing to the audience base, a group of conscientious carnivores who are avid supporters of local agriculture and have a keen eye for quality and passion for sustainability.
Our audience values transparency in their food sources and appreciates the opportunity to connect with the farmers who raise the animals, taking pride in supporting small-scale producers and fostering a more sustainable food system.
With this in mind, we didn’t shy away from showing the animals, proudly displaying them front and centre of the logo system – embodying the transparency and integrity at the heart of Sussex Grazed.
Illustrations of the Sussex Cow, Boer Goat, native sheep, and diverse flower species came together with an organic typeface to create a brand identity that is as inviting as it is distinctive and impactful.
The colour palette is also inspired by the biodiversity of the South Downs – think natural tones reflecting the green grasses and colourful flowers which grace the hills.
The typographic font is ‘Wilden’. Its rugged yet approachable aesthetic, strikes the perfect balance between impact and legibility, giving our brand the oomph it needs without losing its friendly appeal.
Short, impactful messaging also helps audiences to swiftly understand the mission at the heart of the project “Eat well. Do good”.
Results
Sussex Grazed was in its nascent stages when we embarked on our mission, so our objective was to provide them with a brand that they would be confident to promote while helping to win support and understanding of the initiative.
Since the rebrand, the team say that they feel more confident to drive forward and promote the program. Laura Hockenhull, Sussex Grazed Development Manager explained: “Over the course of the year we should start to see evidence of the impact. It’s only now that we started to feel confident promoting the initiative and we (finally) have reliable farmers and processors to help us deliver it. Having pride in our brand has helped immensely and given us the confidence to push the scheme forwards.”
Now the branding is in place the team have also reached out to National Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust and South Downs National Park who have all agreed to provide press coverage, which should help to achieve a significant boost in interest and sales.
Farmers have also grown increasingly interested in being part of the programme and the refined messaging has helped build understanding and awareness of the scheme amongst the community.
Through Tilt’s extensive network in Brighton and Hove, we’ve connected Sussex Grazed with Redroaster, a carbon-negative coffee producer and BCorp-certified restaurant eager to incorporate our sustainably sourced meat.
Budget
Tilt thrives on purpose-driven projects so when Sussex Grazed approached us for support, we were eager to help.
The organisation has ambitious goals for Sussex, where our offices are located, but they had a limited budget.
We pitched the project to our company directors, outlining why we felt it provided a great opportunity to develop the skills of our team while doing something good for the community. Generously they agreed to undertake the project pro bono.
However, to meet the demands of our commercial team we were allocated an internal budget of £10,000, requiring clever resource management and creative use of budget.
We worked with a lean team consisting of a creative, illustrator, two designers and a creative director providing oversight on the project.
We maximised productivity by running focused workshop sessions with the client, where we used creative exercises to help the client articulate the brief and communicate the purpose and passion behind the project.
It was a collaborative approach that enabled us to hear from a diverse range of perspectives, enriching our creative process at a minimal cost. We also developed a versatile logo system, with clear and simple brand guidelines to provide maximum value for money to the client. It ensured that they would be able to easily use the assets across platforms as they scaled the initiative, creating cohesive and professional-looking materials without the need for extensive design resources. We kept this in mind when crafting the brand, knowing it had to be easy for the team to use and implement beyond the project when we would no longer be able to provide creative support. Adopting an illustrative route for the logo and design direction enabled us to leverage in-house expertise. We also used free or low-cost resources to develop design elements such as icons and fonts – still achieving maximum impact but with minimal cost.
“We are delighted with the rebrand! It was a very inspiring and collaborative process, facilitated by the agency. We were particularly impressed by how invested the team were in the project itself, really delving into the details of chalk grassland conservation as well as looking at the marketing aims of our sustainable local meat box scheme. The hand-drawn creations of native chalk grassland flowers, to accompany our logos, was a thoughtful addition and showed impressive attention to detail. Our feedback was well received and communication was always clear and friendly.
Laura Hockenhull Land Use Plus & Sussex Grazed Development Officer
