Brand Review and Refresh:
The Mason Foundation
The Mason Foundation works to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for vulnerable groups across the UK.
The challenge:
Following a period of rapid national growth, the existing brand no longer reflected the Mason Foundation's evolving strategic position or external profile. The visual identity had remained unchanged since the charity was founded, and the absence of a defined tone of voice had led to fragmented communications and an inconsistent external narrative.
“I was particularly impressed by Lorna's ability to translate vision into tangible outcomes. Her work hasn't just been about developing strategy, it's always centred around the "so what factor," moving it into delivery with focus and purpose.
Lorna understood that the strongest strategy is built on shared insight. She was excellent at bringing the senior team together, drawing out their perspectives, and using that collective understanding to shape the marketing direction. To me, this really demonstrates a strong leader who knows that buy-in and expertise flow from genuine collaboration.
Lorna very quickly made a measurable difference to how the Foundation communicates its mission and connects with stakeholders, particularly in strengthening the voices and impact of the communities the organisation serves.”
Anna Skeats, CEO, Mason Foundation
What I did
I led a comprehensive brand review, working closely with the CEO and Head of Programmes to clarify the Foundation’s strategic positioning, objectives and operational priorities. This included stakeholder consultation, audience mapping, and a review of key messaging to ensure alignment with organisational goals.
Alongside this, I conducted a full audit of communications activity across all channels, including visual identity, website, social media and internal processes, to identify gaps, inconsistencies and opportunities for improvement. Competitor and sector benchmarking were also undertaken to ensure the refreshed brand would be distinctive and credible within the landscape.
Outputs
-
Refined brand positioning and messaging framework, including clear value proposition and audience-specific messaging
-
Tone of voice guidelines and brand book to ensure consistency across all communications
-
Visual identity refresh, including updated colour palette and typography aligned with accessibility standards
-
Website refresh, delivered within budget constraints by restructuring existing content, improving user journeys, and introducing more engaging formats such as video. A new impact section was developed to showcase annual reports and case studies
-
Case study library, designed to support funding bids and demonstrate measurable impact
-
Social media strategy, shifting focus towards storytelling and lived experiences to better communicate the Foundation’s work and impact
-
Recommendations for internal processes and governance, including content workflows and brand guidelines to support long-term consistency
Impact
The refreshed brand has enabled The Mason Foundation to communicate more clearly, consistently and confidently, strengthening its positioning with funders, partners and beneficiaries.
-
Grew LinkedIn impressions by 1,257% within eight months, increasing reach from 1,927 to 26,154 impressions through strategic content planning and audience engagement
-
Delivered 78% year-on-year growth in Instagram reach, increasing annual reach from 4.6k to 8.2k through strategic content and engagement planning
-
Increased website users by 23% year on year and page views by 20% year on year
