It was the governing body for a range of aquatic sports but only had one of them in its title. The Bath-based branding agency explains how they helped transform British Swimming into Aquatics GB ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Until recently, the governing body for aquatic sports in Britain, which includes swimming, diving, para-swimming, artistic swimming and water polo, was known as British Swimming. However, there was an understandable feeling that these five distinct disciplines felt underserved by this and needed better representation with a more united feel under one banner.
The organisation briefed Thisaway, a branding and design agency based in Bath, to create a new name and identity that would help unite all the aquatic disciplines under a stronger, more commercially viable brand in time for the Paris Olympics.
Thisaway was responsible for naming, brand strategy, brand identity, event branding, tone of voice, animation, brand guidelines and brand rollout.
Brand positioning
As a national governing body, the obvious focus was on ensuring performance and results to inspire the nation. But also, from a branding perspective, Thisaway wanted to build a brand that would be an engaging commercial proposition, able to increase income outside of public funding. Furthermore, they wanted the brand to inspire people from all walks of life to be interested in swimming and highlight its benefits to the nation.
Following a strategic phase of work, they discovered two key insights. The first was that whatever the aquatic discipline, athletes’ drive for excellence and success requires full dedication and immersion.
The second was that from an audience perspective, seeing this amazing talent in action, understanding the dedication and teamwork behind it, and experiencing the thrills and excitement that result from it are things that everyone can enjoy.
Thisaway combined these insights to form the brand positioning, which they dubbed ‘Immersive Excellence’.
The idea was to create a brand that is compelling to both athletes and the general public while offering a tangible promise that is both performance-led and benefit-led.
Visual identity
Thisaway brought this idea to life by creating an identity system inspired by the free-flowing, organic forms of water. This direction was woven throughout all elements of the brand, from the GB splash logo to the drip-inspired typeface, aqueous colours, and fluid patterns.
The system itself had to be fluid, too, in order to flex and adapt across the full range of disciplines while also working with event partners and sponsors. It had to be able to resonate with athletes and inspire and excite audiences while also having the authority of a National Governing Body.
Thisaway also needed to develop a new brand name. The problem with the previous name, ‘British Swimming’, was that it only spoke to one of the five disciplines covered by the national governing body.
After developing various names and presenting them to the board, they settled on Aquatics GB, which speaks to all disciplines and follows a similar convention adopted by the world and European governing bodies.
Aquatics GB can also be effectively integrated into new and existing event propositions, such as the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, the Aquatics GB Summer Championships, and the Aquatics GB Swimming Awards.
The new brand was initially launched at the British Swimming Championship in April and has been rolled out ahead of the Olympics. Further rollout will happen at future events and national championships.
Looming deadlines
“Whilst the identity obviously had to feel fresh, slick, and engaging, practicality was the main driver on this project,” says design director Adam Cale. We knew we needed to create something that was simple yet striking, flexible but easy to apply.
“With tight timelines, the new brand really had to hit the ground running with its objectives of uniting all of the aquatic disciplines and driving new commercial partnerships in the run-up to the British Championships and Paris 2024 Olympics.”
Drew Barrand, CEO of Aquatics GB, adds: “We were working to a really tight timeline for this project, but Thisaway hit every deadline and turned around refinements quickly, always maintaining the highest design standards and never compromising their strategic brand thinking.
“They have proved to be a great partner, and we look forward to working together further this year to launch our brand to the world.”
