Achelois was a project that was very close to my heart. I was briefed to develop and implement a brand identity for a social good cause. Having worked as a designer and artworker for a fundraising design agency for a number of years this task really resonated and inspired me. 

My project was called Achelois, taken from the Ancient Greek goddess whose name translates to 'She who washes away pain'. Its focus was to provide a community, support and legal assistance to anyone who has been a victim of sexual harassment or assault whilst travelling on London's transportation network (TFL). Alarmingly between July and September of 2020, during which time the world was in the midst of a global pandemic, there were 285 reported cases of sexual assault on TFL. One main issue is that the central line, the underground's busiest train, still has no CCTV inside the carriage. 

So many people I care about have been affected by this issue and as such I wanted to try develop a brand that would offer a sense of community if nothing else. At its core Achelois is about support, throughout all brand graphics, imagery and colour choice I wanted to balance a notion of empowerment with vulnerability. The idea that there can be something really strong and motivating in speaking out against these attacks and by sharing your story on this site you may just provide someone else with a sense of closure. As such all the design choices, very consciously walk this line between empowerment and nurturing. 

The short video shows a mock up of my final desktop site. 

The mood board above shows a selection of illustrations and images which acted as the initial catalyst for my design process. Each image influences illustration style, typography choices and colour palette and I have woven this into my brand graphics so you can see the parallels. My main brand themes were empowerment and solidarity; I wanted to start my research process by looking at art and illustrations that captured the female form without sexualising it. All of these illustrations influenced my logo for this project. As my cause focuses heavily on solidarity and community, I used the image of two individuals holding hands and picket signs, standing together as a form of defiance. While the lack of facial features was intended to highlight how most of these crimes go unsolved, they become dehumanized, just another statistic.