Work

UNICEF: Voices of Youth

A brand for the global citizens of tomorrow.

Service
Brand RefreshCampaign Branding
Capabilities
The image is a logo for "Voices of Youth." It features a large, stylized blue letter "V" on the left, and a blue speech bubble above the text "Voices of Youth" in blue, all set against a white background.

Background

Voices of Youth is a UNICEF initiative that offers young people a safe online community to learn about and discuss global issues - human rights, poverty and education.

A person wearing a bright blue t-shirt with the text "La Voix des Jeunes" and a large "V" with a speech bubble graphic printed on the front. The background is plain white.

The challenge

UNICEF approached Hyperakt to give the Voices of Youth brand its very own voice. The new brand needed to strike the perfect pitch between credibility and youthful exuberance. It had to resonate with young people regardless of their age or cultural identity. And of course, it needed to speak to all of the world’s languages.

An image showing a logo in the shape of a blue "V" with a speech bubble above it, accompanied by text in four languages. Each language's text translates to "Youth Voices" and appears in French, Arabic, Slovak, and Hebrew from top left to bottom right.

The opportunity

Hyperakt created a brand identity that was immediately accessible to young people around the world. The new Voices of Youth brand visually invites youth to share and connect about the critical issues impacting their lives. Vibrant, rich illustrations transcend language and cultural differences and clearly articulate everything the platform has to offer. The versatile new brand radiates with the optimism and openness UNICEF hopes to nurture in the global citizens of tomorrow.

A grid of icons and text representing various initiatives. Each initiative has a unique logo and color. They include Child Rights, Unite for Climate, Water Environment & Sanitation, Millennium Development Goals, Gender Equality, Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Education, Disabilities, and Violence.

A versatile system

We designed custom icons to identify key program areas. Distinct, colorful and instantly understandable, the icons represent the seven broad areas around which the site facilitates dialogue: Human Rights, Poverty and Hunger, Education, Environment, HIV/AIDS, Violence and Health. The icons work independently, locks up with the logo, and expand into patterns, allowing endless flexibility across print and web.

Six colorful icons on a white background represent various themes: a pair of people, converging arrows, an open book, a speech bubble, a red ribbon, and a water droplet over a hexagon. The icons symbolize community, focus, education, communication, health, and hydration.

Universally engaging

The Voice of Youth logo needed to encourage free expression in a safe space, and to appeal to children of all ages in dozens of countries. We created a logo that allowed for all of this. By calling out the “V” and pairing it with a speech bubble, we allowed the brand to literally “ speak” to children. The speech bubble became the foundation of the brand architecture, allowing us to unify the many programs and subcategories on Voices of Youth's complex platform.

A collection of colorful speech bubbles with various icons, including a leaf, star, chat symbol, book, cross, and music note, on a light blue background. The speech bubbles appear to be floating, with more space on the left side of the image.
Two tablet screens display different web pages. The left screen shows an article on poverty and hunger, including images of grains. The right screen displays a health-related article with a picture of a healthcare worker attending to a mother and her children.
A colorful booklet on a white background. The cover design features an abstract pattern of shapes in green, blue, purple, yellow, and brown. The top right of the booklet has a white "V" and "Spaces of Pattern" text in a modern font.

Expanding the program

After the Voices of Youth brand launched successfully, it expanded to encompass three new youth empowerment programs: Connect (which promotes communication between children), Citizens (which hosts a discussion of social media safety and ethics), and Maps (which gives children the tools to create interactive GIS maps of their communities and the world). Sustaining a strong relationship to the core brand, we maintained the speech bubble for each new program, and paired it with a unique icon, typographic lockup and color palette.

A graphic with three colorful logos for "Voices of Youth". The first logo is purple and labeled "CITIZENS" with a star symbol, the second is orange and labeled "CONNECT" with a recycling symbol, and the third is teal and labeled "MAPS" with a map pin symbol.
Three colorful foldable brochures stand open, showcasing intricate designs. The first brochure on the left features a lightbulb and circuit imagery. The middle brochure has a megaphone illustration. The right brochure presents a network diagram with circular icons.

Creating a friendly environment

We created a unified language for each of the new Voices of Youth sub-brands that work within the overarching aesthetic but give each program a fresh look. We redesigned the Voice of Youth website to explain each new program with the help of friendly, illustrated banners. Each set of illustrations explores themes from the program, like digital journalism and community mapping, without condescending to the young reader. Soft textures and rounded forms help establish the platform as safe and accessible for all participants.

Illustration displaying eight icons representing various concepts: a connected world, urban buildings, global rotation, a grid pattern, data analysis, residential area, network connections, and a circular cycle of technology and communication.
Orange background featuring the white text "VOICES OF YOUTH CONNECT" next to a speech bubble icon containing two hand silhouettes reaching for each other.
Illustration of a globe surrounded by icons of people connected by lines, symbolizing global networking and communication. Background includes buildings and stylized clouds, all in soft pastel colors.
Illustration of a globe on a partially unrolled scroll with interconnected people icons around it, signifying global communication or networking. The background is blue with white clouds, and an arrow encircles the globe.
A green background features three connected circular icons: a light bulb symbolizing ideas, three people with speech bubbles symbolizing communication, and two hands shaking with gears symbolizing collaboration. Additional icons of light bulbs and speech bubbles are scattered around.
Logo with a purple background featuring a speech bubble with a circular symbol inside, followed by the text "VOICES OF YOUTH CITIZENS" in white.
Illustration of two stylized figures, one with a light blue face and the other with a light pink face, connected by lines and nodes, surrounding a glowing light bulb. The background is green with white elements symbolizing technology and connectivity.
An illustration of a network tree with various branches leading to different circular icons, representing different functions such as cloud storage, play, Wi-Fi, sharing, settings, upload, and power. The background is teal, and the central element is a hand.
Illustration of a computer monitor connected to a globe via pixelated data points, symbolizing global communication and data transfer. The background is light blue with scattered digital pixels.
A teal background with a white speech bubble containing a simplified map icon. To the right of the speech bubble, there is white text that reads "VOICES OF YOUTH MAPS.
An illustration featuring three hexagonal icons on an orange background. The first shows a map with a location pin and industrial buildings. The second depicts a fist holding a megaphone. The third shows a globe with arrows pointing in various directions.
Illustration of a workflow from a globe on a scroll with a pencil to a city surrounded by swirling lines and a semi-transparent globe. The path symbolizes progression from education to global connectivity and urban development, set against a light blue background with clouds.
Illustration of a globe with various simplified buildings on top, set against a green background. Speech bubbles in white and turquoise emanate from the buildings, representing communication or conversation around the world.
The image shows a promotional graphic, featuring a laptop on the left displaying a webpage with people and branding for "Maps" and a desktop screen on the right showcasing a website section with the headings "Who we are," "Where we are," and "What we do" with icons and text.
Three colored speech bubbles on a white background: an orange bubble with a circular network icon, a teal bubble with a folded map icon, and a purple bubble with a sun-like icon.
An illustration depicts a sequence of icons connected by an orange winding path. It starts with a globe and magnifying glass, followed by an open book with a growth chart, a pie chart, and ends with a government building.
A webpage titled "Voices of Youth Connect," featuring a teal background, a globe illustration at the top with various icons for communication, and menu options including "About" and "Create a Post." The page includes sections titled "Who we are" and "Where we are.
Screenshot of a website homepage for "Project by Citizens". The site has a purple and white theme. There are icons and images representing connectivity and community. Sections are titled "Who we are", "Where we are", and "What we do". Top navigation includes "Sign in" and "Register".
A tablet displaying a website with an image of a child dressed warmly and a banner saying, "Learn more about our topics." Various icons and sections are visible below, including options like "Connect," "Citizens," and "Maps." The background is teal blue.

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