Building a Shared Voice Through a Brand Narrative
A mental health organisation aimed to create an ecosystem that provides treatment and care plans for a range of mental health conditions. When Studio Subu was approached by the team, the initial brief was to help build their external communication. We knew this was a delicate topic and needed to be handled with utmost care. Since I will not be sharing the final narrative document here, I’ll share my process instead.
Phase 1: Research and Discovery
We started off with in-depth research, the first step in any project. This began with an intense day-long in-person workshop with the in-house team.
This gave us varied perspectives on all stakeholders from different members of the team. We followed this with 1:1 calls with key members to understand how the team worked, how messaging decisions were made, and how involved clinicians were in communication that went out.
The research phase was crucial, especially because it flipped the entire brief for us.
The team needed a fulcrum. A strong base that they could understand, embody, and then adapt freely, while still preserving the ethos of the brand.
When we say team, it includes not just the communications staff, but the founders, therapists, psychiatrists, service staff, and even the reception desk.
The organisation was in the middle of a major shift - moving from an earlier brand ethos and identity to a new one that would allow them to include deeper conditions and support people with more serious needs.
Yes, we could have created a few sample communication artefacts, but that would not have solved the real challenge. What they needed was an internal understanding of their new identity: how to speak on its behalf, and how to make clients feel they were in it together.
Phase 2: Constructing the Narrative
Constructing an internal narrative in this space might seem like a challenge, but it turned out to be one of the simpler parts for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m a pro at writing. But the fact that this team was so passionate about their work and the care they wanted to provide made it easier to articulate everything they were trying to say because it all came from a place of empathy.
Empathy is a core factor in designing with intention, and this project truly highlighted that for me.
I began noting down keywords and themes that consistently came up. These slowly evolved into the main principles or pillars for the voice. The narrative spoke about trust, empathy, and hope. It highlighted the space the organisation creates for clients, the collective expertise of its team, and the unique model of care it has developed.
We brought this together in a card-style, ring-bound docket that each team member could carry. It became a ready reference in any situation, ensuring that all communication was powered by the same principles — while still leaving room for individual expression.
As the team was rapidly growing, it became vital to ensure that everyone was aligned on how to communicate the work while staying true to the brand’s voice and personality.
The cards were divided into three levels:
Level 1 (Core Nucleus) — a quick overview of the brand’s philosophy.
Level 2 (Principles) — an expansion of the philosophy, breaking down each key point.
Level 3 (Situational Examples) — practical examples that made the pillars easy to apply in everyday work.
This was a reminder that the most impactful design work often happens behind the scenes, shaping the systems, the language, and the shared understanding that allow a brand’s intent to shine through consistently, no matter who’s speaking on its behalf.
What stood out most to me in this project was how design went far beyond visuals or messaging templates. It became about creating clarity and alignment for an entire organisation. The process was about translating empathy into a framework people could use every day.
By grounding the narrative in real conversations, mapping out principles, and then turning those into tangible, situational tools, we created something that was both structured and flexible.
This project was developed and run alongwith the awesome team at Studio Subu.
I do not claim ownership of any content used and share credit with the team.