Creating a brand for the rubbish revolution

Sector: Environment

Client: Rubbish Run

Expertise: Brand strategy, brand identity design, copywriting

Creating a brand for the rubbish revolution

Rubbish Run is an environmental movement that's making the environment cleaner and bringing the community together at the same time. Created by Newcastle locals determined to usher in a rubbish revolution, Rubbish Run gets people meeting – and moving – towards a better environment.

Rubbish Run’s mission is two-fold: collect rubbish from streets, parks and waterways, and supporting people’s wellbeing and community interaction by getting them moving. Focused on low-impact, pro-social, do-gooding, members enjoy a beer or coffee at the end of a productive run and take a moment to get to know each other.

Our thinking

We wanted to create a brand which clearly articulates the values that Rubbish Run aspires to; community, wellbeing, environmentalism and sustainability.

Building a sustainable world that has a sharper focus on waste is a big job. It needs change at all levels of society – including government, business, manufacturing and our households. We set to work with discovery sessions to get under the skin of the ambition of Rubbish Run, so we could best distill the brand personality and experience principles.

Education, awareness and shifting behaviour are key to Rubbish Run, so it was essential to create a distinctive and accessible visual identity that amplifies the brand’s hopes and aspirations, and reflects the infectious enthusiasm, warmth and sharing of love at the heart of the brand.

Brand design

We knew that the brand didn’t take itself too seriously. That’s key to attracting people to get involved. So our branding had to evoke a sense of fun.

Playful typography, witty headlines and accessible language were used to embody the spirit of the brand and its unwavering sense of fun.

We just loved creating the Rubbish Run brand. The problems facing us are huge and we sensed a real desire within our community from people wanting to get involved at the simplest level. We also wanted to address social isolation in this new, post-pandemic, digital paradigm.

Georgina Hannekum, Director – Better Known

A pro-social approach

With a tiny advertising budget we knew we had to be really clever in order to create impact within the community. We created large-format posters that spoke to the mission alongside a Facebook page to promote meet-ups.

The brand voice, identity direction and colour palette were kept fresh, vibrant and warm. In combination, these key communication and digital touchpoints inspire a sense of purpose for the community and uplift its members.

Creating a brand for the rubbish revolution – Better Known