The Mayor of London's Violence Reduction Unit brings people across the capital together to understand why violence happens, and to take action to prevent it. They work with young people, communities, education leaders, councils, the NHS, and the police.
Their previous visuals were too corporate, too flat, and too disconnected from the communities at the centre of their mission.
Firstly, a brand refresh was performed on their colour palette, typography, and visual elements, and then two different reports for their programmes were designed using the new visual system.
The starting point for this project was understanding the audiences. With such distinct groups to communicate with, from young Londoners to senior public sector partners, the visual identity needed to work across a significant range of contexts without losing coherence.
Two design routes were initially developed, both moving decisively away from the corporate aesthetic, toward something bold, energetic, and reflective of the VRU's character and the communities they champion.
The chosen direction enabled me to form a new colour palette, font system, and suite of visual elements. The visual identity was then extended into roll-up banners, a PowerPoint template, social media templates, and a full set of brand guidelines for internal and external use.
With the identity established, the next challenge was using it to design long-form, text-heavy documents. These were designed to be strongly on-brand, and also navigable and accessible for each target audience.
The Strategic Guides for education leaders were designed with an interactive menu system to facilitate navigation throughout — making the content easy to move through and act on.
The Girls and Young Women Prevention Plan had a different approach. We decided this report needed a distinct visual variation of the VRU identity that felt specific to this community. Bespoke female-centered illustrations were created alongside a different application of the VRU colour palette and visual elements. This report was also designed alongside a specific PowerPoint template tailored to the Girls and Young Women unit.
“Tara has been an absolute pleasure to work with. I initially commissioned her for a brand refresh project, and the quality of her work led our team to engage with her for several subsequent projects. She consistently delivers to deadline and remains flexible and responsive, even when accommodating last-minute requests. What has particularly impressed me is the care she takes to truly understand the underlying problem behind each design brief. She then translates that understanding into thoughtful, effective solutions that not only address the brief but also bring a fresh and considered perspective. This approach speaks volumes about her can-do attitude and strong problem-solving work ethic. I would highly recommend Tara and am confident she would be a valuable asset to your team."
The VRU now carries a visual identity that works for every audience it communicates with, from the communities at the heart of its work to the institutional partners that make that work possible. Since this design work, the organisation has gone on to achieve results that speak for themselves.
In 2025, knife crime was down 17%, with 2,764 fewer victims. Robbery is down 13%. Homicides of young people under 25 are now at their lowest level this century; three times lower than when the VRU was established.
London's Inclusion Charter, which the Strategic Guides were designed to support, has been adopted by 30 councils across the capital, with nearly every London borough now signed up to the Charter's commitment to tackling suspensions, exclusions, and absenteeism.
Design alone doesn't drive outcomes like these. But design that helps an organisation communicate its mission clearly, build partnerships, and present its evidence compellingly, definitely has an effect. I am honoured to have been able to partner with the VRU and be a part of their journey.
