We recently rebranded Australia's Red Threads, ReLoved, Red Cent and other Australian Red Cross Shops under the name Red Cross Shops.

Known internationally for it's humanitarian efforts and within Australia primarily for it's Blood Service, it is lesser known that Australian Red Cross also run a network over 160 shops selling recycled and new clothing with the proceeds helping support the work of Australian Red Cross. Red Cross Shops needed to not only stand out in the op-shop/vintage landscape but also link fluidly to the larger purpose of the Australian Red Cross.

The new brand uses bold colour to achieve cut-through, with a simple visual system based on using an asterisk to link two key messages. Message A is short, sharp and to the point, often a straight forward retail message. Message B reveals that there’s more than one side to the story. It can be used to add depth, connect messages and add a touch of humour.

By seamlessly linking what someone's buying to where the funds go, it gives them a sense of contribution and invites further discussion about various projects happening locally and internationally. The system also allows Red Cross Shops to provide selfish and selfless reasons for people to get involved. The system can be used by anyone, hence a hand drawn typeface being created for message B, while on items such as the pavement A frames, staff can customise with hand written messaging as required.

With budgets being a major consideration, everything was created with inexpensive production in mind, able to retrofit existing point of sale materials in most cases. A unique illustration style was developed with a library of 50 initial illustrations as an affordable way to for Red Cross Shops to convey a variety of messages.

The brand is currently being rolled out across Australia.