West London Mission is a housing association supporting people displaced from society, whether through homelessness, prison, mental health challenges, or financial hardship. Having outgrown its church-based roots and operating name, it needed a full rebrand to better reflect its purpose, broaden its appeal, and unlock new fundraising and investment opportunities.
Through interviews with service users and frontline staff, we found that people didn't need their lives "transformed"; they needed help finding their way. That insight shaped everything: the name Strides, a warm and optimistic visual identity, and a forward-moving design language built around progress and possibility. For sensitive topics where photography felt too exposing, we created an illustrated character family that keeps the brand feeling human.
The result is a coherent, confident identity that the organisation can grow into and fundraise behind.
Strides often needs to address sensitive topics where photography can feel intrusive or inappropriate.
That’s where our family of Striders comes in, offering a warm, human connection through illustration, while respecting the dignity and privacy of the people Strides support.