This change reflects our continued commitment to providing impartial and accessible planning advice and support to people and communities across Scotland. The new name is matched by a fresh logo and branded identity, updating the look and feel of the organisation to match the reality of who we are today, whilst staying true to our core values as an educational charity.

Our new branding is the result of many changes that have taken place in the past year. We have welcomed a new Chief Executive, Johanna Boyd, who has brought a new vision and direction to our organisation. We have also expanded our Board, staff and volunteer network with new members who share our passion and commitment to helping people improve their places through the planning system. Our new branded identity reflects both our 30 years of experience and our renewed and refreshed focus as an organisation.

John Bury, Chair of the Board:

“As a volunteer led organisation, we help to guide people and communities through the planning system. This ranges from advice on options when a planning application affects an individual to help with new development frameworks and plans for communities. After three decades of being content with our look, it was finally our time to embrace change, and I’m delighted to welcome the launch of our new branding and visual identity.

The new branding shows our renewed commitment and energy to the people, communities, and business start-ups that we help every day. It also celebrates the amazing creativity of our staff and volunteers and their dedication to help people engage with the planning system and make a positive difference in their places across Scotland.”

A core value of our organisation is inclusiveness. It’s no surprise that we opted for a highly inclusive and collaborative approach to reimagining our brand. We teamed up with Bold Studio to help us gain clarity on what was working well (and what wasn’t) with our branding, who the organisation was and who it is now and where it is heading in the future. A group of staff, board members and volunteers took part in a rapid, intensive 3-stage process, first collaborating to set the brief, then narrowing down options and refining the end product.

Johanna Boyd, Chief Executive:

“I’m pleased to mark the launch of our new look and feel as an organisation. It’s modern and forward-looking, but also connects with our history, by restoring our original name and incorporating elements of our former logo design (a nod to the Saltire). As we prepare to celebrate our 30th anniversary year, we have a new look and a new energy. We are grateful to the team at Bold Studio for their creativity and in helping us navigate this new process all together, with participation from across all our staff, Board, and volunteers.”

We also have an animated version of our new logo, take a look below.

Also – watch this space for news of our 30th anniversary launch soon!