RNIB unveils rebrand

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has undergone a rebrand that it describes as “more modern” to support a new vision and strategy that aims to encourage the public to consider blind and partially sighted people as individuals, not as people who have overcome disabilities.

The £70,000 rebrand was unveiled earlier this week and is being promoted using a series of humorous adverts and short films that encourage the public to “see the person, not the sight loss.”

Director of development at the RNIB, Keith Valentine, said: “As part of our refreshed strategy and brand, RNIB is taking a stand against exclusion, inequality and isolation to create a world without barriers.”

Coinciding with the rebrand, the RNIB has shared the findings of a YouGov poll which has found that almost one in five people with visual impairment only shop on the High Street once a month or less.

The charity emphasised that the findings highlight how retailers are missing out on spending from the sight loss community, with 64% of adults with visual impairment agreeing that High Street retailers need to do more to make shopping on the High Street more assessible to them.

Almost one in 10 of the 1004 people surveyed said they would like to shop on the High Street more often, but feel unable to do so.

The survey was carried out with the RNIB’s Connect Community members and found that 72% of people would shop more if shops and restaurants took more steps to be accessible.

What’s in a logo

As part of the RNIB’s rebrand, the organisation has a new logo, which is an area that the survey explored in terms of accessibility. 

In terms of what makes a logo easy to identify, respondents highlighted shape or emblem, boldness or simplicity, and clarity and brightness.

The poll reported that Boots and M&S had the best logos on the High Street, with 76% of respondents agreeing that the logo alone made it very easy to identify the retailers on the High Street.

Mr Valentine explained: “High Street shops, restaurants and businesses need to wake up to the fact that they are missing out on potential customers. Over two million people in the UK live with sight loss and it is predicted that by 2050 that will double to nearly four million.

“The inability to easily identify a logo can make it hard to navigate the High Street. Narrow walkways, difficulties in reading price or sizing labels, hazards on the floor, poor signage and dim lighting are also reasons why shopping on the High Street can prove difficult for blind and partially sighted people.

“Ensuring that your shop, your logo, your services are as accessible as possible makes sense. Simple steps such as providing staff training, providing large print labels or brighter lighting can make a big difference.”

Image credit: Getty