Our new brand

Since CLAPA was founded in 1979, we’ve essentially had the same look.

The brand is well-known, well-loved and highly respected within the cleft community (including NHS and research organisations). We didn’t want change for the sake of change or to get rid of what’s already working unless we had good reason. But over the years our work has changed, our impact has grown and the world has modernised.

It’s time for a refresh – so our brand better reflects our current focus and strategic aims to engage new audiences, increase income and campaign for better treatment and outcomes for the cleft community.

Alongside our visual identity, we are also changing our name. But don’t worry, we’re still CLAPA!

CLAPA is an acronym for The Cleft Lip and Palate Association. We are now using Cleft Lip and Palate Action as our working name.

It was important for us to change our working name to something that reflected who we are today, but was still recognisable. Cleft Lip and Palate Action became the obvious choice – and not just because it fits within the CLAPA acronym…

Alongside our services we are now a campaigning organisation, actively calling for meaningful change to improve cleft care in the UK. The name change positions us as the voice of the UK cleft community, working on their behalf to create a better future – yet still recognisable as a much-loved and cherished brand.

You may also notice changes in our content and how we communicate. We promise to be stronger and bolder as we solidify our position as the driving force in change for cleft care – while continuing to be the vibrant, friendly and supportive community space for everybody affected by cleft in the UK.

We appreciate that the costs of rebrands can be a concern for supporters, so we’ve approached ours a little differently and benefitted from some truly generous professional support.

We partnered with The Team, a creative brand consultancy and BCorp who selected CLAPA as part of their annual commitment to returning social value by supporting a good cause based in the UK. Each year, they offer their specialist brand strategy and identity expertise to a not for profit organisation or charity where their skills can make a meaningful difference.

This support has given us thousands of pounds worth of value at no cost to us or our supporters.

We have also redeveloped our website. Much of this was kindly funded by the VTCT Foundation – so costs for this project have been kept to a minimum.

Other associated costs have all been budgeted for. An overview of the total spend implementing the new brand will be available in our next annual report.

Absolutely not! With the pro bono support from our services, and any associated costs in updating materials being budgeted for, there will be no impact on the services that CLAPA provides. In fact, we firmly believe the rebrand will improve our services by driving greater engagement and increasing our reach to families and individuals who need our support.

CLAPA holds a special place in the hearts of so many and we recognise that we are a much-loved brand to those we support. We have been sensitive to this throughout the process, so it’s an evolution rather than a complete departure. We are still here, providing the same help and support – we just look a little bit different.

We have put the thoughts, feelings and considerations of our service-users and supporters at the forefront of our decision making, and have gone through several consultations at each stage with these groups, to ensure their opinions are taken into account.  Overall, the response to the rebrand has been overwhelmingly positive as we move into a new era for CLAPA.

If you have any questions, or would like to give some feedback, please contact us at [email protected]

Whether you’d like to fundraise for us, volunteer or simply shout about our work – we’d love to have you involved! Now, as we introduce the rebrand to the world, this support is appreciated more than ever. You can find out how you can get involved in our work and support our cause here.

If you have any additional questions around our rebrand, get in touch at [email protected] and one of our team will be happy to discuss them with you.