Adolescent Health Study launches new ‘Project Youth’ identity
The Adolescent Health Study has unveiled its new name and visual identity – designed to help it engage young people and their parents and carers.
‘Project Youth’ will become the study’s working name, supported by a new visual identity and website.
It gives the study a clearer, more engaging and accessible identity that will appeal to young people and help to recruit and retain volunteers from across the UK. It also aims to build understanding and confidence among parents and carers, whose support will be important to the study’s success.
The new name and identity are the result of an extensive development process shaped by young people and parents.
More than 2,000 young people (aged 8-25 years) and over 1,300 parents and carers of primary and secondary school pupils tested various options of names, straplines and visual identities. The groups represented a mix of UK locations, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The testing showed that young people wanted clear and authentic language that would continue to feel relevant over the lifetime of the study. They also responded positively to language that gave them agency and presented them as partners in the research, rather than simply as research subjects.
‘Project Youth – Building a healthier future, together’ and its final visual design emerged as the strongest combination across the different audiences.
Clear, welcoming and accessible
“This study has been established to advance our understanding and improve the health and wellbeing of current and future generations of young people,” said Professor Cathie Sudow, Executive Director. “For the study to succeed, young people and their families need to understand what it is, trust it and feel that it is relevant to them.”
“Project Youth gives the study a clear and welcoming identity that will help us build those relationships and engage young people from a wide range of backgrounds.
“Young people, parents and carers have helped to shape and test our new identity. Their feedback has directly influenced the name, the language and the final design.”
Accessibility was built into the development process. A dedicated focus group brought together young people aged 16 to 25 with a range of lived experiences and accessibility requirements. Their feedback informed decisions about typography, colours, contrast and spacing.
A new website at www.projectyouth.org.uk has been launched and the current website will close towards the end of the year. Adolescent Health Study will remain the organisation’s official name.
The study is still in development, and young people, parents, carers and other groups are continuing to provide their views, helping to shape how it will run.
This work is funded by UK Government through UK Research and Innovation.
Read more: “Blog Post: Creating Project Youth”