Nicole Scherzinger, Dermot O’Leary and Hugo Taylor put their artistic abilities to the test for Shooting Star Chase children’s hospice / FITCH

• Celebrities create their own friendly character in support of children’s charity relaunch.
• Stars including Nicole Scherzinger, Dermot O’Leary and Hugo Taylor put their artistic abilities to the test for Shooting Star Chase children’s hospice
• Brand created by global design agency free of charge after director’s baby son died
• Charity breaks new ground by launching multiple logos to reflect both sunny and sad days at children’s hospices
• Fingerprint concept created to mirror charity’s bespoke care for each family

A host of high-profile figures including Nicole Scherzinger, Dermot O’Leary, Hugo Taylor, Chris Robshaw and Rosie Fortescue have shown off their artistic talents to support the rebrand of Shooting Star Chase, a charity caring for life-limited babies, children and young people, and their families.

Each of the celebrities created their own member of the Friendlies, a group of lively characters designed to help break down the misconception that children’s hospices are sad and depressing places. The fingerprint concept has been created to reflect the charity’s care service – all fingerprints are unique and each family is given care and support based on their individual needs.

One of the ‘artists’, Hugo Taylor, who recently visited one of Shooting Star Chase’s two hospices, said: “What struck me the most was the positivity of the place in relation to the very serious side. There is a lot of love in the building – that’s the first thing I noticed.  It’s a really beautiful place. The new brand looks great and the Friendlies are fantastic. I’m sure the children will love them.”

The charity’s new look has been developed by global brand agency FITCH completely free of charge after agency director, Kevin Doherty, was supported by the charity when his six-week-old son died. “We spent the last three weeks of Tommy’s life at the hospice and we were looked after incredibly well,’ said Kevin. “Although it was a very sad time it was also one of the happiest times of my life because the hospice allowed me the experience to be a normal father for the first time.”

“When I returned to work we talked about how we might be able to give something back and it turned out the charity were looking to start a rebrand project. Although there are sad stories within the hospices they are actually very happy places and I think what we have created is very reflective of that. We’re incredibly proud of it and we would be even without the personal connection.”

Shooting Star Chase’s new identity incorporates multiple logos to reflect the changing emotions of day-to-day life at a children’s hospice and the range of services on offer to the whole family. “Having multiple logos is a very brave thought as it probably breaks the traditional rules of branding where it was all about consistency,” Kevin says. “But brands are becoming more playful and they have to be in the social era and this brand really does that.

We’ve created a suite of logos and underneath that a family of fingerprint ‘Friendlies’ that can be used for bespoke campaigns and messaging. The key thing is the fingerprint idea is so strong that even when it appears in different ways the seamless thought runs all through it in a way that it is immediately recognisable.”

In addition to FITCH’s support, the cost of the rebrand has been kept to a minimum thanks to donations of time and collateral from Speakeasy productions, LPC Printing, EBB Paper and other personal donations.

The relaunch is the final step in bringing together Shooting Star and CHASE after they merged in 2011 to provide better care to families living in London and Surrey. The new brand comes as the charity announced demand for services has increased to unprecedented high levels.

Chief Executive David Burland said: “Since the charities merged in 2011 we have been solely focused on what really matters – how best to care for families going through unimaginable circumstances. During that time the number of families we are supporting has increased by 25%. However, referrals are still rising and we know there are many more families in desperate need of our support. To be able to provide care to even more families we need to raise more funds and increasing our profile with this exciting new brand is a vital step to making that possible. We’re all very excited about the new brand and are extremely grateful to FITCH and all those who have donated money and gifts-in-kind to make it happen.”

Shooting Star Chase Head Office

hello@shootingstarchase.org.uk
01932 823100

Christopher’s Children’s Hospice

01483 230960

Shooting Star House Children’s Hospice

020 8783 2000