New name & identity Q&A

Sight Support Hull and East Yorkshire was launched on 1st May 2018 as the new name and identity for HERIB (Hull and East Riding Institute for the Blind) along with a modern new logo.

Q: Why is HERIB changing its name?

A: We are changing our name after much thought and following consultations with our service users, staff, volunteers, partner organisations and the general public. We did this because:

We want to reach out to more people, whatever their degree of visual impairment, because we believe no one should have to deal with sight loss alone. Many people have told us that sight loss is a more inclusive term than blind and this will help to broaden the appeal of our services so that more people will benefit.

People also tell us, especially those newly diagnosed with sight loss, that they are fearful of being referred to a charity for “blind people” because they do not consider themselves as being blind. This may be at a time when they need our support the most and we are determined that no one should face sight loss alone and want to ensure that we reach out to as many people as possible. We believe that our new name will help us to do just this.

We also wanted to differentiate ourselves from other organisations with a similar name so that we can attract the funding and partnerships necessary to safeguard and expand our services for the benefit of everyone who needs them.

Q: How did the name HERIB make it difficult to reach people and attract funding?

A: The name Hull and East Riding Institute for the Blind is very long and so was abbreviated to HERIB some years ago. This caused problems because:

  • When abbreviated to HERIB our name became meaningless to anyone who didn’t already know what we did and who didn’t know what the letters HERIB stood for.
  • HERIB also shared three out of four letters with a well-known national sight loss charity which often led to confusion for potential new service users, supporters and partners.
  • We could have lost valuable income as a result of this - money which could have been used to improve and develop services for local people with visual impairments.

Q: Why choose Sight Support as the name?

A: During the consultation people told us that the words 'Blind' and 'institute' have negative connotations. Most felt that the word 'Institute' was negative and old-fashioned and that the word 'blind' was misleading and not inclusive enough for the charity as it implies only people with full sight loss can receive its help. Everyone agreed that HERIB was not a friendly name and that a friendlier name would help the charity with its aim of reaching more people.

Respondents gave a long list of words that represent their feelings about the charity and the top most popular words were 'SIGHT' and 'SUPPORT'.

Q: Why change our logo design and colours?

A: We are changing our logo because we wanted to stand out from the crowd and we believe our modern new design will help us do that. The colour and shape of our logo design was informed by the consultations. Most people wanted us to use an eye-shaped design to give a clear message about the work we do and the eye is supported by an arrow signifying support and an upward journey.

The charity was concerned that it should not lose the link to its long and proud history and therefore we have chosen to keep a predominantly blue logo with the addition of a second lighter colour to offer a more modern look along with an extended, “bright” colour palette of green, pink and yellow.

Q: Who chose the new name and logo?

A: Our new name and logo was suggested by our design agency who also coordinated our consultation events and listened first-hand to the views of our service users, staff, volunteers, partner organisations and the general public.

It was then approved by our Board of Trustees which includes people with visual impairments.

Q: How much did it cost?

A: We’ve been able to keep our costs lower by using local suppliers willing to offer competitive quotes and good deals as a local charity. In addition, we have been fortunate to receive a number of generous legacy donations in the last twelve months which have enable us to invest some of this funding into rebranding. Most importantly, we believe that the investment on our modern new name and image will enable us engage with more local people with visual impairments and to stand out from the crowd and attract the funding which will safeguard our services for future generations.

Q: How will people know that HERIB is now Sight Support Hull and East Yorkshire?

A: We will be doing a number of things to make sure people know what our new name is:

  • We will be writing to all our service users through our Insight magazine to let them know our new name. We will also be writing to our partner organisations, supporters, volunteers and suppliers to let them know too.
  • Staff and volunteers will also be asked to make sure that when they answer the telephone, write letters, send emails or produce information leaflets that they give our new name but, in the immediate future, also say that we were formerly known as HERIB, to avoid any confusion.
  • Our email address, website, Twitter and Facebook and other social media site names will all be changing and all incoming ‘posts’ sent to HERIB will be automatically re-directed so that people trying to contact us using either our old or our new name should be able to make contact.
  • Our bank has been instructed to recognise a number of names, including Sight Support Hull and East Yorkshire and HERIB, to ensure that any donations sent to us using either our old name or our new one will continue to reach us.
  • We will be using a range of marketing and promotional methods to promote our new name and branding including: a. Press releases and broadcast interviews to local media around the launch date. b. Social Media campaigns via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & more including a Thunderclap to simultaneously deliver the message through followers’ feeds. c. Photographs of iconic views of Hull and East Yorkshire with eye condition overlays to be used in posters & articles. d. Promotional materials & giveaways: pens. Balloons, signature cards. e. Community presence via info & fundraising stalls at local events and venue, e.g. supermarkets, Beverley Folk festival etc.

f. Preview Party (27th April) to encourage key supporters and partner organisations to help us spread the word and update them about our services.

Q: What if I don’t like the new name and visual identity?

A: We had more than 25 names suggested during the consultation and we understand that it will take everyone some time to get used to our new name. We believe that our new name will help us broaden the appeal of our services to more people with visual impairments who need our support and also help us generate the income and partnerships we need to secure and expand our services for the future.

Our existing services will continue to be delivered by the same people and in the same ways as before, just under a new name.

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