The Background

Today, over 90% of adults with Down Syndrome in Ireland are unemployed. Together Academy was established with a mission to change this. A unique college and social enterprise cafe in Dublin, it provides people with Down Syndrome specialised certified training, on-the-job experience, future work placements and a critical social and support network. We create a brand with buckets of character that is warm, approachable and reflects the energy and passion of the Together Academy. The Together Academy is an innovative and unique concept – the first of its kind in Ireland – whose mission is to provide a place to belong and thrive, a positive community and springboard for its students.

The Idea

Together Academy wanted the identity to be able to grow with the organisation. At the moment, they are an academy and café, but they could expand into other areas – so we wanted to ensure our solution would grow with them.

The Execution

As Together Academy is a new concept, we decided on a logotype to establish the brand name and build recognition. Within the logotype, the 't' in 'together' wraps a supportive arm around the 'h', demonstrating that support, teamwork and warmth are core to Together Academy.

We chose Value Serif Bold & Value Sans Bold as our font family – to best represent the Together Academy family. Value is a contemporary family of two typefaces, and together, they bring distinctive design features: a notch in the letters 'f' and 'j', giving the mark a unique feel.

Supported with an optimistic colour palette, photography and messaging, the result is a brand identity and graphic language that keeps Together Academy's warmth and supportive nature at its heart.