Dogs for Good – Portfolio

Dogs for Good: winter campaign

Elevating the extraordinary partnerships making everyday life possible

Agency: Neo
My role: Senior designer, working with lead designer, creative strategist and production designer
Copyright: Neo Creative Limited 2023

The challenge
Life is becoming impossible for many. The widespread challenge of feeling disconnected and isolated is a common thread that weaves through various aspects of life and health. What's striking is the scarcity of effective social care solutions that truly cater to the diverse needs of individuals. Dogs for Good is looking for solutions that not only address these problems but also empower, restore life, and place the person front and centre. The current social care system falls short of supporting individuals' desire for both social connections and independence. What's even more critical is how this inadequacy ripples out to impact families and communities. There's a definite need to reassess and reshape the Dogs for Good approach to ensure everyone receives the support and care they truly deserve.

Agency: Neo
My role: Senior designer, working with lead designer, creative strategist and production designer
Copyright: Neo Creative Limited 2023

The challenge
Life is becoming impossible for many. The widespread challenge of feeling disconnected and isolated is a common thread that weaves through various aspects of life and health. What's striking is the scarcity of effective social care solutions that truly cater to the diverse needs of individuals. Dogs for Good is looking for solutions that not only address these problems but also empower, restore life, and place the person front and centre. The current social care system falls short of supporting individuals' desire for both social connections and independence. What's even more critical is how this inadequacy ripples out to impact families and communities. There's a definite need to reassess and reshape the Dogs for Good approach to ensure everyone receives the support and care they truly deserve.

The key truths that emerged from the deep dive were:

Dogs for Good partnerships change lives for the better
It’s not just the dog… it’s the partnership, the match, the connection
With a Dogs for Good partnership, people can turn their ‘disability’ into a possibility
The transformation can be extraordinary, but it’s the everyday that matters
Dogs for Good partnerships help people from all walks of life, in all sorts of ways

The challenge
Life is becoming impossible for many. The widespread challenge of feeling disconnected and isolated is a common thread that weaves through various aspects of life and health. What's striking is the scarcity of effective social care solutions that truly cater to the diverse needs of individuals. Dogs for Good is looking for solutions that not only address these problems but also empower, restore life, and place the person front and centre. The current social care system falls short of supporting individuals' desire for both social connections and independence. What's even more critical is how this inadequacy ripples out to impact families and communities. There's a definite need to reassess and reshape the Dogs for Good approach to ensure everyone receives the support and care they truly deserve.

The key truths that emerged from the deep dive were:

Dogs for Good partnerships change lives for the better
It’s not just the dog… it’s the partnership, the match, the connection
With a Dogs for Good partnership, people can turn their ‘disability’ into a possibility
The transformation can be extraordinary, but it’s the everyday that matters
Dogs for Good partnerships help people from all walks of life, in all sorts of ways

The solution
Key themes that emerged from the truths were positive connections, a sense of belonging, and possibility. Life-changing partnerships that make life possible for all those who need an assistance dog.

The objective was to redefine Dogs for Good, positioning it more prominently as a charity centred on social engagement and individuals. The messaging needed to convey empowerment for both the individual and their canine companion. Highlighting the unique capability of dogs to fulfil a diverse range of needs beyond human capacity is crucial. Emphasising the partnership between the individual and their dog is key, focusing on the comprehensive nature of this relationship. Shifting the focus towards outcomes rather than limitations is paramount, emphasising the potential and possibilities rather than any perceived disabilities. This strategy aims to reframe the organisation's identity towards a more impactful and outcome-driven approach.

The key truths that emerged from the deep dive were:

Dogs for Good partnerships change lives for the better
It’s not just the dog… it’s the partnership, the match, the connection
With a Dogs for Good partnership, people can turn their ‘disability’ into a possibility
The transformation can be extraordinary, but it’s the everyday that matters
Dogs for Good partnerships help people from all walks of life, in all sorts of ways

The solution
Key themes that emerged from the truths were positive connections, a sense of belonging, and possibility. Life-changing partnerships that make life possible for all those who need an assistance dog.

The objective was to redefine Dogs for Good, positioning it more prominently as a charity centred on social engagement and individuals. The messaging needed to convey empowerment for both the individual and their canine companion. Highlighting the unique capability of dogs to fulfil a diverse range of needs beyond human capacity is crucial. Emphasising the partnership between the individual and their dog is key, focusing on the comprehensive nature of this relationship. Shifting the focus towards outcomes rather than limitations is paramount, emphasising the potential and possibilities rather than any perceived disabilities. This strategy aims to reframe the organisation's identity towards a more impactful and outcome-driven approach.

The solution
Key themes that emerged from the truths were positive connections, a sense of belonging, and possibility. Life-changing partnerships that make life possible for all those who need an assistance dog.

The objective was to redefine Dogs for Good, positioning it more prominently as a charity centred on social engagement and individuals. The messaging needed to convey empowerment for both the individual and their canine companion. Highlighting the unique capability of dogs to fulfil a diverse range of needs beyond human capacity is crucial. Emphasising the partnership between the individual and their dog is key, focusing on the comprehensive nature of this relationship. Shifting the focus towards outcomes rather than limitations is paramount, emphasising the potential and possibilities rather than any perceived disabilities. This strategy aims to reframe the organisation's identity towards a more impactful and outcome-driven approach.

Campaign impacts

1. Christmas fundraising exceeded recent years’ totals
2. Social media engagement boosted over the period
3. Positive response to first-ever BBC Radio 4 appeal
4. Wide support and take-up of narrative throughout the stakeholder community

The campaign identity went on to become an interim brand position.
We're still working with DfG on their culture and evolving their identity.

My role
I joined the project during the visual development phase, where a preliminary narrative had already been presented to Dogs for Good. Alongside the design lead, our mission was to craft the essence of 'making life possible' as depicted in the proposed poem 'for getting up, for getting out…' (see below). Our goal was to breathe life into these words, capturing the essence of connection, possibility, and partnership in a visually compelling manner. We began by brainstorming separately, pooling our best ideas together to create a powerful solution that encompassed the most impactful elements. This laid the foundation for what would eventually shape the visual identity. Working within tight deadlines, our focus was not only on delivering the visuals but also on generating all the campaign assets for a pre-Christmas launch.

My role involved overseeing the project management of the assets and aiding in the implementation of the final visual approach across digital and print formats. The campaign's identity was met with such enthusiasm that it's now serving as an interim brand identity while Neo finalise the broader culture and identity work. You can read more about further the campaign approach further down the page.

I led and managed the annual report which was to have a different style and format from previous years focusing on the partnership and outcomes. Working collaboratively with an external copywriter and DfG internal comms team we successfully delivered the report. The report focused on the stories of those DfG had helped and the difference they made. Working closely with the lead designer we designed an exhibition stand for Crufts.

Reflections

At Neo, the desire to do well often exceeds the budgetary scope resulting in over-delivery of our services. This comes from a desire to do the best we can for charities and NGOs we work for despite their small budgets.
Better communication between ourselves and the internal comms team would have put us at an advantage, this was impacted by working at pace to reach project milestones.

Reflections

At Neo, the desire to do well often exceeds the budgetary scope resulting in over-delivery of our services. This comes from a desire to do the best we can for charities and NGOs we work for despite their small budgets.
Better communication between ourselves and the internal comms team would have put us at an advantage, this was impacted by working at pace to reach project milestones.

Reflections

At Neo, the desire to do well often exceeds the budgetary scope resulting in over-delivery of our services. This comes from a desire to do the best we can for charities and NGOs we work for despite their small budgets.
Better communication between ourselves and the internal comms team would have put us at an advantage, this was impacted by working at pace to reach project milestones.

The evolution of the brand to create a more meaningful emulative visual approach may have gone further than anticipated as DfG decided not to go back to its old look and feel. However as the campaign visual was never intended to be a brand identity from a campaign perspective, it has left them with an interim brand until a full rebrand can be done - this is pending budgetary availability

Let's chat. You can reach me by email at rachel@ganeshwaran.com