Tell us more about the charity and its history.
The Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) launched in 2020, following the closure of the Autism Research Trust (ART). While the charity’s mission was clear – to improve the lives of autistic people – how it would achieve that was still being defined.
There are a lot of autism charities already doing incredible work. So we asked ourselves; how can we add to this? What’s missing? We started by asking the community what issues were important to them. Using this and other insight we developed our immediate priorities – suicide prevention, employment, reduced life expectancy, education, early diagnosis and criminal justice.
We are committed to collaborating with the autism community in a meaningful way, and understand the importance of using evidence to create change. Turning insight into impact.
Why did you decide to rebrand the charity?
When I joined the charity back in February 2024 it quickly became clear that the charity’s name and brand were confusing, and didn’t reflect the great work we are doing. We’re a small team with big ambitions, and we needed a brand that communicated that.
We gathered some insight with the help of our staff, trustees and autistic supporters, which confirmed that our suspicions, and set out on our rebrand journey.
We knew that a new brand wasn’t the answer to making change happen – that we can only improve autistic lives through action. But a strong brand, that reflects who we are and what we do, that is accessible and distinctive, is essential to help us succeed.
We also knew that change – even for positive reasons – is often difficult for autistic people. So, we took take steps (guided by community feedback) to make the change as easy as possible.
Your new name is Autism Action, what do you mean by ‘action’?
We considered nearly 100 names during the rebrand project – 80 of which were suggestions from the community. We had to check which were already being used by other organisations or companies, and which would work in fundraising, marketing, and other activity.
We tested the shortlisted names with our Community Advisory Panel, Autism Action was the most popular, feedback included that it was ‘snappy’, ‘punchy and memorable’ and ‘implies that autistic people might be involved’.
We felt that Autism Action was the right name for us because we are:
- Tackling the issues that really matter to autistic people.
- Doing things differently and challenging the status quo.
- Being unafraid to ask difficult questions.
- Campaigning for progress and change.
We won’t stop until autistic people are living free from unnecessary hardship and discrimination. Autistic people deserve action that will improve their lives and we are here to make it happen.
Have you involved autistic people in the rebrand?
Engaging with the autism community is fundamental to who we are as a charity. Our mission is to use insight from real-life experiences, alongside evidence from research and existing data, to drive real change. We cannot do this without the community.
We are committed to working with – not for – autistic people. Collaborating, co-designing and co-creating at every stage. Our rebrand project was no different, so we approached it with the same dedication.
We’ll be sharing an in-depth blog very soon, which goes into detail about our community engagement activity. But in the meantime, here is a brief overview of what we did:
- We held three workshops and seven 1:1 sessions to gain insight into our current brand and to help steer the project. These involved stakeholders who work closely with the charity such as staff, trustees and researchers, including autistic people.
- Throughout the project we completed three surveys with our Community Advisory Panel (which includes autistic people, parent/careers and supporters who work in the field) to gain insight on potential names, visual identities and creative directions. 387 members of our panel provided input.
- We did two rounds of focus groups (group and 1:1 sessions) with volunteers from our Community Advisory Panel. These included six autistic people and one parent/carer. Our volunteers provided in-depth feedback on our proposed visual identities and creative direction, our final brand and website accessibility plans.
Every piece of feedback we received was carefully considered to ensure what we developed was accessible, unique and would help us achieve our mission.
Who did you work with to create the new brand?
As well as working closely with the community, we wanted to bring in some external brand and design expertise, to support our in-house team. But we only wanted to work with people who understood and supported our mission; and who were as passionate about it as we are.
After much searching, we appointed Reuben Turner from Rewild Creative, who, along with 25 years’ experience leading in brand and creative strategy for charities and companies across the UK, has lived experience of autism.
Rueben introduced us to the incredible Kirsteen Faulkner from Studio Kico. Her work in conscious branding and commitment to accessible design were the perfect fit for us.
Together they spent six months working with our Head of Communications and the community to develop the new brand.
How much did the rebrand cost?
We appreciate every penny that is donated and have a duty to use it wisely to ensure the greatest impact for autistic people.
We kept the cost of the rebrand low by utilising the skills of our in-house team. But there were unavoidable costs, such as developing the new brand and creative assets, our community engagement activity, new photography, and our new website.
It total, we’ve spent around £25,000. We see this one-off expense as an investment that will help us achieve our mission, including helping us raise much more money so we can better help autistic people and their families in the future. We’re confident that it’s money well spent – and hope everyone else agrees.
Does your new name and brand change your role as a commissioner of research?
Commissioning and funding research is still fundamental to who we are as a charity and is a critical component for how we will achieve our mission. Research can fill gaps in knowledge, act as a catalyst for change and drive improvements in support.
But research isn’t enough to make change happen.
We will continue to commission world-class research, in partnership with autistic people, on the issues that most affect their lives. And we will bring this research together with other data, lived experience, and other evidence and insight to make powerful cases for change.
