Youth Inspired: Rebrand & Website Transformation
Bridging the Gap Between Youth & Grantors
Collaborators: Muir Media
The Mission
Youth Inspired (formerly Youth Interventions) is a Paisley-based charity dedicated to providing a safe, empowering space for young people and support for their families.
They needed a digital home that reflected their new, youth-led branding and, more importantly, felt like a safe space for vulnerable young people, and parents or guardians looking for help.
The Audit
Overall, the original website suffered from a clinical, corporate feel which didn't align with the charities values. While functional, the site lacked the warmth necessary for a youth-focused charity.
There were also a number of accessibility barriers, including auto-scrolling banners, images of text, low colour contrast, and a missing footer navigation, which hindered easy site-wide access.
From a branding perspective, the extensive use of stock images, and general feel and structure of the site meant a full re-design was required.
Inclusive Design Focus (The Research)
Through chats with the client, we identified three distinct user groups for the website, with unique needs:
- Parents & Guardians: Seeking reassurance and clear service information during high-stress times.
- Prospective Grantors: Looking for professional transparency and proof of impact to justify funding.
- Young People: Needing a sense of belonging and representation.
The Stress Case: I prioritised "calm navigation." For a parent in a state of high anxiety, finding contact details, or service description should take seconds, not minutes.
Collaborative Strategy (Aligning Goals)
Moving from a corporate look to a youth-centric one required a delicate balance, as one of the key users will be prospective grantors, and the people who decide which organisations receive funding.
At the same time, we wanted the site to feel calm (for parents and guardians), and fun - for the young people who might want to join.
The client had brought in the graphic designer who had created their previous logo, and it was great to receive multiple ideas and directions that we could go in.
I guided the charity through a rebranding process, ensuring the new colour palette and typography met WCAG 2.1 AA standards from the start, rather than going with the boldest option, and trying to avoid accessibility issues later.
The Fix
The redesign is a complete transformation from the old website.
As well as the new branding, we replaced cold stock photos with real photos of sports days and other activities, clearly laid out all of the services on offer, added a detailed about page so that parents and guardians could see and get to know the team at YI.
To ensure that that site is fully accessible, here's a few more things I ensured were in place:
- Accessibile Branding: The new colour palette and fonts were tested to ensure all text is easy to read, regardless of colour-blindness or visual impairments.
- Meaningful Alt-Text: Every relevant image was given descriptive alternative text, ensuring any potential parents or young people using a screen reader could "see" the joy and activity at the center.
- Accessible Testimonials: We featured handwritten reviews from the young people at YI. To ensure these weren't "dead" images, I transcribed every word into the code, ensuring screen-reader users could experience the heartfelt feedback of the community.
- Navigation & Interaction: I implemented a robust footer and clear focus/hover states for all buttons, and a skip-nav button, ensuring the site is 100% navigable via keyboard.
The Impact
The result was a website that finally matched the charity’s heart, and that they were finally proud to share.
We also saw:
- Funding Success: The professional yet accessible redesign contributed to the charity securing more funding than in previous years.
- Compliance & Pride: The client feeling far more confident, and a sense of pride in their digital shop front.
- Increase in Attendance: The charity has seen an increase in parents and guardians attending adult services since the re-launch.
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