The Living Wage Foundation is unveiling a new brand identity today, designed to reflect the scale, ambition and future direction of one of the UK’s most successful campaigns for better work.
The refreshed brand brings together the Foundation’s three hallmark accreditations – the Living Wage, Living Hours and Living Pension – under a clearer, more cohesive identity in line with the Foundation’s mission to ensure work provides everyone with a decent standard of living now and in the future. The changes have been made to support the movement’s continued growth, while keeping its values and recognisable mark firmly at the centre.
Above Image: The updated logo and accreditation marks
Since the Living Wage campaign began in East London in 2001, it has grown into a nationwide movement of nearly 16,000 accredited employers. Collectively, these employers have delivered over £3.6bn in extra wages and lifted hundreds of thousands of workers out of in-work poverty.
The Living Wage Foundation is a project of Citizens UK and worked with brand agency Spencer du Bois, who also led Citizens UK’s own rebrand in 2023, to develop a brand identity rooted in the strength of the movement and fit for its future.
Katherine Chapman, Director of the Living Wage Foundation, said:
“With more and more employers joining our movement to offer not just a real Living Wage, but also secure hours and a pension people can build a life on, we needed an updated brand that could tell a more connected story about what good work really means.
“Our mission is to tackle in work and pensioner poverty by driving up standards of good work so everyone has a decent standard of living now and in the future – and that means building work that works for everyone. Our refreshed brand helps us tell that story more clearly, connecting our growing accreditations under one trusted, recognisable identity. It helps us celebrate good employers who raise the bar for good work, benefiting their staff, their business and the wider economy.”
Clare Duncan, Senior Marketing and Communications Manager at the Living Wage Foundation, added:
“The Living Wage Employer mark is one of the most visible and trusted commitments to decent pay in the UK. It’s used by nearly 16,000 accredited employers across everything from shopfronts and vans to websites and train doors. That’s why we’ve kept the heart of the brand intact, while updating the design to be more accessible, connected and fit for the future of our movement of leading employers.
“We involved employers, workers and campaigners throughout the process to make sure the refreshed brand still feels like theirs. It’s clearer, more cohesive, and helps us show how the Living Wage, Living Hours and Living Pension all work together to raise standards for workers.”
A refreshed but recognisable brand
While the refreshed logo and colours have been modernised and made more accessible, the new identity remains strongly recognisable. This was a deliberate choice, in recognition of the thousands of employers who already use the Living Wage mark in visible and trusted ways.
From the doors of ScotRail trains, to LUSH shopfronts and email footers in City firms, the Living Wage Employer mark is one of the UK’s most widespread visual commitments to good work. Building on this recognition was a core part of the brand refresh.
The rebrand is also designed to support greater clarity for employers and workers about the Foundation’s wider offer – connecting the Living Wage with newer accreditations like Living Hours and the Living Pension, which are helping employers take more steps to ensure their staff are protected from insecure work or an insufficient income in retirement.
Key updates include:
- A modernised but recognisable logo
- An updated, more accessible colour palette
- Accessible typefaces that meet readability guidelines
- A cohesive family of accreditation marks, reflecting the breadth of the charity’s work
Refreshed messaging that communicates the Living Wage Foundation’s vision of work that provides a decent standard of living
Built with the movement
The Foundation’s updated brand was developed in consultation with hundreds of accredited employers, community leaders and workers. The process aimed to capture the essence of the campaign and evolve it to meet today’s challenges, including the rising cost of living, high levels of in-work poverty and a growing number of workers unable to plan for retirement.
The refreshed brand is being rolled out across digital and physical assets in the coming months. Accredited employers can find out what the changes mean for them and access updated materials on the Living Wage Foundation’s website and employer dashboard.