Battersea Cats & Dogs Home
Battersea is a much-loved charity that cares for dogs and cats in Britain and beyond. Established in 1860, Battersea has gone from one home in London to three rescuing and rehoming centres around the country, growing in size and ambition to care for three million pets in need.
Whether it’s newly-born or getting on, cute or characterful, and regardless of its breed, background or behaviour, Battersea takes in every dog and cat that arrives at its gates. Drawing upon unparalleled expertise, Battersea provides these animals with the best possible training and care, until an owner or a new home can be found.
Pentagram’s approach was to strike out against some of the negative connotations associated with the language and tactics of the charity sector, which often leans into a world of shock tactics, euphemistic language, well-worn tropes and overly-sentimental language. Instead, the new Battersea brand deploys honest and straightforward language, expressed by a tone of voice that speaks with joy, principles, expertise and endeavour.
During my internship at Pentagram London, and as part of Marina Willer’s team, I assisted the team as Graphic Designer across a variety of aspects of the project including asset production, animation and roll-out.
“The abstract illustrations are designed to subtly communicate Battersea’s story; they appeal to people’s compassion and humanity, without victimising or stigmatising the animals.”
Informed by the brand idea, the dynamic visual identity created by Pentagram uses a “family” of hand-drawn watercolour illustrations to humanely emphasise Battersea’s commitment to care for every dog and cat. Retaining Battersea’s signature blue, the watercolours—made up of five dogs and five cats—are used in varying combinations, giving Battersea the flexibility to tell a rich and diverse story across all of its platforms.
The abstract illustrations are designed to subtly communicate Battersea’s story; they appeal to people’s compassion and humanity, without victimising or stigmatising the animals. While the characters are devoid of facial features, they remain expressive and retain a strong sense of individuality: celebrating the diverse range of personalities found among Battersea’s dogs and cats, while emphasising the human intervention required to make them whole.
The warmth, kindness and humanity expressed by the watercolour is balanced with a sharp Franklin Gothic wordmark, which injects an element of authority to the visual identity.
“Pentagram placed the emphasis on the charity’s commitment to unconditionally care for all dogs and cats, and developed a brand line that acts as a steadfast manifesto for Battersea: ‘Here for every dog and cat.’”
Project Team: Marina Willer, Pentagram London
Collaborators:
Hiromi Suzuki, illustrator
Patrick Giasson, typographer
Jess Bonham, photographer
Liz Seabrook, photographer
Theron Humphrey, photographer
