Directgov

Directgov is the UK Government’s digital service for people in the UK, providing a single point of access to public sector information and services. The content is developed by government departments, working with a central Directgov team. The main outlet is via a website, though content and services are also delivered
via mobile.

Directgov receives more than 15 million visits a month, from around 8 million unique users. In September 2007, the site received its 100 millionth visit since its launch in April 2004.

Project

A year after receiving its 100 millionth visit, the senior management and branding team decided to give Directgov a bigger presence in the mind of the public and to become the Government’s biggest central source of information online. To do that, the brand was in need of a refresh and the website needed greater navigation clarity. There was also a requirement that everybody coming into contact with the Directgov brand should be absolutely clear about its purpose, function and what it stands for as a brand.

Role

I worked with Directgov as a brand consultant, over a three-year period. During that time my role was to help and guide the client in several ways – firstly through the overall brand refresh and its complexities; then by helping to recruit, train and embed a new brand manager; and finally by giving a series of workshops and inductions to staff, senior management, new joiners and stakeholders.

Because this project was so big, we commissioned the design agency Bostock and Pollitt to help develop the brand guidelines and refresh the website. At this stage my role was to be the creative director for the overall project, reporting to the Directgov senior management for progress sessions and development while working with the design agency, conducting all the creative reviews and giving creative guidance. Bostock and Pollitt’s work was fabulous and they were a joy to work with.