Rethinking a community brand and platform

Magna Housing is a community-focused housing association based in Dorset and Somerset, dedicated to providing housing services to local people. Magna understands that joining forces with great organisations is key to shaping places for everyone. With Tangent, they embarked on a strategic initiative to create a community brand and platform. This platform aims to break down knowledge silos across housing associations, local and national governments, public services, construction specialists, and beyond. The project involved developing a brand name, positioning, visual identity and platform recommendation, all within a tight six-week timeframe.

Three comprehensive workshops were pivotal in defining the organisation’s objectives and gaining a closer understanding of the needs of the housing association, the local communities they serve, and their partners and suppliers. These workshops also provided an opportunity to map core platform requirements to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration, encourage innovation, and build community, while addressing the needs for scaling, customisation, integration, data management, and privacy. An evaluation of aspirational, sector-agnostic community brands, a deep dive into the desired brand personality and mission of the platform, and a brand territory mapping exercise provided the foundations for our naming, positioning, and visual strategy.

The design process focused on delivering contrasting positions to gauge the tone of voice, identity, and experience most true to Magna’s vision. Their desired route champions the challenger spirit, appealing to bold, brave changemakers unwilling to accept the status quo. It’s about catalysing active change, speaking directly to future generations. We crafted a name, brand mark, tone of voice, visual language, and comprehensive brand guidelines to guide all future communications, alongside a landing page for new users to the platform.

In selecting the appropriate technology to power the platform, we conducted a systematic evaluation of potential providers. Our criteria were based on functionality, scalability, and the ability to integrate seamlessly with existing systems. After thorough research and comparison, we chose Hivebrite as the platform provider. Hivebrite offers robust features that meet Magna’s immediate needs and provides scalability to adapt to future demands. This choice ensures that the platform can evolve alongside Magna’s growth and continue to support their mission of fostering community collaboration and innovation.