New look for deafness research charity

12 September 2005

Defeating Deafness, the UK's medical research charity for deaf and hard of hearing people, today unveiled a brand new name and a new look, becoming Deafness Research UK.

Launching the new identity, the charity's Chief Executive, Vivienne Michael, said, "Deafness research is on the brink of some momentous breakthroughs. Within five years we may well be able to slow the advance of age-related hearing loss and, within the next ten to fifteen years there could even be a cure for deafness.

"This means that the charity's work has never been more important and, because we rely entirely on public support, we need to ensure that our name and branding reflects our national status and the unique role we play in pioneering high quality research focussed on bringing practical benefits to millions of deaf and hard of hearing people.

"Market research showed that our old name simply didn't convey this effectively and was preventing us from getting our message across to new audiences. We believe that our new identity will reflect better who we are and will have both the impact and longevity we need as we enter this next exciting period of growth."

London-based brand and design agency, Spencer du Bois, won a credentials pitch to create a new look to accompany the charity's new name.

Director, Max du Bois, said, "This has been an exciting and challenging project for us. We could see that the charity had an impressive track record of identifying key research and delivering results but was relatively little known to the wider public. We wanted to capture the charity's "stand out" and "stand for" qualities and the essence of the promise its work holds for millions of people."

The launch of the new identity is timed to mark the release of a study aimed at raising awareness of the poor treatment of tinnitus sufferers in the UK. The study reveals that the vast majority of patients suffering from tinnitus are being badly let down by the NHS.

Notes for editors

• Deafness Research UK was founded by Lord (Jack) and Lady (Pauline) Ashley in 1985.
• The charity has awarded over £6 million in research grants, supporting research into cochlear implants, digital hearing aids, glue ear, hair cell regeneration, genetics of deafness, and much more.
• Nearly nine million people in the UK – one in seven of the population – are deaf or hard of hearing.
  

Media contact

Joanne Keane
Deafness Research UK Communications
Phone 020 7837 8092
Email