Redress Scotland

Redress Scotland is the independent non-departmental public body which makes decisions about the Scottish Redress Scheme. This scheme was set up for survivors of historical child abuse in care in Scotland, to recognise and acknowledge what happened, and the harm caused.

We worked closely with groups of survivors, listening to their stories. This was vital to creating an appropriate and representative visual identity and tone of voice.

We learned that Redress Scotland may be independent, but it cannot work in isolation. Its people must collaborate, weaving policy and process with kindness and humanity to build strength and trust in the application process, to ensure survivor care and dignity throughout. 

That idea of collaboration and connection is central to the visual identity we developed – composed of individual strands woven together. Each one connects, supporting the others, to build a stronger whole.

We learned that the tone of voice principles we developed, and all Redress Scotland communication, must be clear and precise, especially so for the survivor community. Because of their childhood circumstances, many survivors didn’t get the same educational opportunities as the rest of society, and sometimes struggle with the complex words and jargon used. Added to that, survivors have often been let down so many times over the years that many will have difficulty trusting others – clarity is key.

Survivors must be at the heart of everything Redress Scotland says and does. We’ve built an identity and voice for the organisation to support that in all its communications.