Since our founding in 1989, Five Rivers has become one of England’s leading children’s social care providers and, in keeping with our long heritage, it’s important to reflect how we have also evolved over the years. So, as we continue our journey, it’s only right that our brand evolves with us. Our visual identity should reflect the expertise, compassion and practitioner-led approach that define our community’s dedication to turning children’s lives around through expert, holistic support.
We knew that our brand didn’t look the way we wanted to be seen, so we needed to change. Something that represents our history, shows our passion and keeps children at the centre.
At Five Rivers, we have always believed that how we communicate and connect with people is important. And we know that what makes a brand memorable goes far beyond its logo or colours, it’s our culture, our relationships, our voice and the trust people place in us. So, as we considered the fresh new look for Five Rivers, we wanted people to see a brand that feels welcoming, nurturing and full of possibility. But most importantly, we wanted people to understand that everything we do is centred on helping children, young people and families achieve positive outcomes and brighter futures.
By taking a moment to reflect on who we are, where we’ve come from, and where we want to go next, we’ve created a brand look that brings to life our story, our passion and our child-centred philosophy.
While our look has been refreshed, our purpose remains exactly the same, always focusing on creating brighter futures for children and young people.
Our refreshed visual identity is more vibrant, friendly and expressive. It gives us greater freedom to communicate in a way that feels warm and child-centric, while still maintaining the professionalism and trust that we have built over the years.
As Five Rivers continues to grow and innovate, it’s important that our brand reflects the Social Enterprise we are, and the future we’re building together. I hope people see a brand that feels warm, hopeful and trusted, and immediately recognise our commitment to helping children, young people and families thrive.
Nicci Willock, CEO
When stripped back to its two fundamental elements, our new logo combines an illustration of a heart and a child. Layered together, it keeps the feel of interconnection that inspired our previous logo.
Inspired by the logo’s overlapping lines, we’ve introduced a suite of shapes and graphics to build recognition in places where you may not see the logo. Together, these elements better reflect our passion and warmth.
One of the biggest updates is our new handwritten font, created in collaboration with some of the children in our care, ensuring children remain at the heart of our story. This process gave us the chance to see the world through a child’s eyes and the ability to reflect the energy and imagination of the children and young people we support.
I really wanted to incorporate something that the children had made in our new branding.
Our old brand had a handwriting-style font that I wanted to replace, as it wasn’t very readable. So I asked a selection of children in our care to write out the alphabet, and I turned their handwriting into our secondary font.
Becky Davison, Brand & Design Lead
Our refreshed colour palette builds on the colours that have long been part of Five Rivers’ identity, with every shade having been carefully refined. We wanted to retain our signature blue and orange, while creating a palette that works more effectively across digital and print. The updated palette uses more considered tones that improve contrast and readability, helping to ensure our communications are clearer, more inclusive and accessible to everyone. At the same time, the colours feel fresh, vibrant and playful, reflecting the personality and energy of the children at the heart of our work.
I want people to remember what Five Rivers stands for, and that everything we do comes back to turning children’s lives around. I hope our new brand makes that feel obvious to everyone, from the moment they first discover us.
Becky Davison, Brand & Design Lead
An evolution rather than reinvention, the refreshed brand shows who we are today – trusted, authentic, ambitious and caring. And looking ahead, it’ll give us both the flexibility and strength to support our storytelling, deepen our impact and reach even more children and young people who need our support.
Success for me is a brand that strengthens our reputation, connects more people with our services and inspires pride across our entire Five Rivers community. The most important thing to remember is that while our appearance has evolved, our commitment to changing lives and creating brighter futures remains as strong as ever.
Nicci Willock, CEO
This marks an exciting new chapter for Five Rivers as a Social Enterprise, guided by our strong values and commitment to ethical practice. This rebrand better represents our continually developing and enhancing our services, helping us create meaningful, lasting change in the lives of children. Our Social Enterprise commitment has always shaped who we are, and as we launch our fresh new brand on our 37th anniversary, our updated visual identity reflects it more clearly than ever.
We’ve taken the experience, values and identity that have shaped us and brought them to life with a visual identity that is more child centred, more playful and more reflective of who we are today.
