Is rebranding the right way to rebuild trust in political parties?

Many people in Britain think politics is broken – with nearly half of the UK population (47%) polled by YouGov saying it's 'working very poorly'.

Much of this relates to the ongoing drama surrounding Brexit, and the way in which UK parliament has handled Britain's departure from the EU. The endless votes, changing deadlines and revolving personnel.

Politics needs a rebrand like never before. Online printing company, Solopress, has set themselves the task, with its new Politics Rebranded campaign. With the help of creative branding heavyweights, the company has revamped the image of the main UK political parties – designing new logos, posters and more for Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and others.

Phil Cleaver, Professor of the Creative Industries at Middlesex University, and Radim Malinic, an award-winning freelance creative director and graphic designer, brought their expertise to the project.

Simon Cooper, Solopress Managing Director, said: "The current state of British politics inspired us to imagine how political parties could connect better with voters. Branding is so important to other big businesses and why should it be any different for political parties?"

Mr Cooper added: "While major brands sell products, parties are selling policies, both need to have a strong and coherent message and that begins with the branding."

But how did the campaign approach the redesigns? Malinic said the parties' design systems were currently 'disjointed and inconsistent', urging them to seek inspiration from Premier League football teams.

"This is where tribalism and sense of belonging comes to real life," he explains. "The field with a strong sense of identity. Even small teams have solid design systems where they can communicate clearly with their fan base."

Professor Cleaver stressed the importance of authenticity in an era of 'fake news' and explained that parties needed to create an identity in touch with their aims.

"We navigate our daily decisions by the symbols that surround us," he said.

"A picture is worth a thousand words. Use a symbol which clearly outlines your beliefs and over time it will become undeniably associated with you. This transcends language – no other context is needed."

The Politics Rebranded team created everything from logos to business cards. Would the new designs change your opinion on politics? See what you think.