Girl vs Cancer

Since 2016, GIRLvsCANCER has been on a mission to challenge the harmful misconceptions that exist around cancer, while working to break down taboos and build a powerful support network for all those affected by the disease.

Following the success of her influential blog, community-driven campaigns and social media work, founder Lauren Mahon wanted to completely refresh GVC’s look, feel and website in time for a massive relaunch; one that coincided with the 5 year anniversary of her own diagnosis.

To kick off the process, we invited Lauren and her team to a series of workshops; the first step on a journey that would see GVC move from a personal platform to a fully realised brand. In these sessions, we identified the key elements that lay behind GVC’s popularity, got down to the nitty gritty of the community’s needs and explored what content really grabs attention, both in and beyond the charity space.

We then conducted in-depth research into a wide variety of cancer experiences and immersed ourselves in the audience through conversations, articles, podcasts and studies. From this groundwork, a powerful strategic positioning rooted in GVC’s origin story evolved: Strength through vulnerability.

All too often associated with weakness and fragility, vulnerability was at the very heart of GIRLvsCANCER’s success. We believed they were the right people to reclaim the term and rewrite that perception.

With this as our linchpin, we created a definitive set of visual and tone of voice guidelines. From a kick-ass manifesto to curated typography, bespoke colour palettes to clear personality principles, we crafted every element of the new identity to ensure GVC would generate impact; whether in the ways it showcased and empowered its community, or through its boat-rocking campaigning. And, to let the world know they really mean business, we forged a defiant slogan and an unapologetically unconventional logo that expands to take up the space the subject deserves.

Following the identity refresh, we worked side-by-side with the team to design and write GVC’s new website, ensuring every rule outlined in their new brand bible was applied for maximum effect. Launched in November 2021, GIRLvsCANCER 2.0 is a truly collaborative undertaking that redefines notions of what a ‘cancer brand’ is supposed to be and how a charity is meant to behave.

We continue to partner with the team to help them achieve their humongous ambitions.