Harwich Haven Authority

Harwich Haven Authority is the proud guardian of the Harwich Haven, a 150 square mile area vital to the UK’s prosperity with 40% of the country’s container traffic travelling through the region. Established in 1863, they have a serious heritage to draw on while operating at the forefront of marine and environmental thinking, so when we landed their rebrand, we had much to consider.

Also part of this challenging brief was the number of diverse stakeholders Harwich Haven Authority is accountable to, including The Department for Transport, local authorities, environmental groups, educational organisations, sailors, residents, community groups, historical societies and employees.

The creation of the new brand design involved an extensive process of consultation, feedback and voting by the whole workforce, however, these discussions gave us an uncommon opportunity to communicate directly with both the management and staff to set out the thought process and inspiration behind our brand strategy.

Based on the unique haven environment, the brand design represents the different aspects of their jurisdiction, encompassing the river estuaries, rolling countryside and broader natural environment in an elegant, succinct and versatile marque.

The roll-out was wide-ranging and included a website that draws live hydrographical, meteorological and vessel movement data from the Authority’s strategically positioned sensors; an interactive yachting map; and extensive iconography to communicate the many different technical areas of content.

The brand was fully embraced and HHA was transformed from a traditional, heritage organisation into a modern, forward-thinking, future-ready Authority.