Housing Plus Group refresh

New Year Housing Plus Group

Housing Plus Group and Wrekin Housing Group were merging.

HPG needed to now visually represent the union of two organisations with deeply invested stakeholders, 2,100 staff members, and 34,000 combined customers—all whilst managing the emotional weight of change.

Deliverables:

Brand guidelines
Visual system
Typography
Digital assets
Templates
Signage
Vehicle livery
Uniforms

The Challenge

The message to customers was clear: “nothing is changing.” But staff needed to feel energised about the merger, not anxious. I had to balance reassuring stability with exciting momentum.

The constraints:

Extremely tight deadline -launch within eight weeks
Incorporate Wrekin’s green into Housing Plus Group’s existing identity
Launch timing: “New Year, New HPG”
Legal and customer communication requirements
Cost implications of any rebrand
Emotionally charged stakeholders on both sides

The Approach

Rather than a full rebrand (which would undermine the “nothing is changing” message), I positioned this as a strategic refresh and enhancement. The goal: make it feel new to everyone, not just the incoming organisation.

Strategic decisions:

Enhanced the colour system rather than overhauling it—adding colours would erode brand recognition and trust
Introduced new brand assets (triangular devices) to give the identity a fresh, contemporary feel that was genuinely new for all staff
Designed a physical welcome moment (staff boxes) to make the merger feel personal, not corporate

The approach balanced evolution with stability—fresh enough to signal change, familiar enough to maintain trust.

The Delivery

Visual Identity Enhancement:

Evolved colour system
New brand assets and visual devices
Updated brand guidelines
Print materials (posters, signage, documents)
Website styling direction
Digital advertising templates
Video graphic templates
Launch video production

Staff Welcome Experience:

Personalised welcome boxes (notebook, pen, treat, postcard) delivered to all staff home addresses on launch day
Created emotional connection and excitement pre-launch

Staff Conference

Following the successful launch of the new merged Housing Plus Group, a staff event, hosting over 1,700 colleagues, took place to launch the new vision and behaviours.

Delivery included:

Complete event identity and sub-brand
All visual displays and environmental graphics
Printed materials and signage
Event styling and atmosphere creation
Internal communication campaign
Project management

The Impact

Staff sentiment: Measurable increase in positive sentiment following gift box delivery and HPG Live conference. Staff felt valued and seen during organisational change.

Organic engagement:

Staff voluntarily shared welcome boxes and event experiences on LinkedIn, creating authentic employer brand content and social proof.

Stakeholder satisfaction: Directors and senior leadership endorsed the approach and execution.

Cultural integration: Increased staff engagement with post-merger activities, helping accelerate the assimilation of two distinct organisational cultures into one unified group.