Cancer Research UK has refreshed its branding to tell a more consistent story of the impact its work has on the lives of people affected by cancer, the charity announced today.

The brand refresh aims to connect the organisation's scientific and research breakthroughs with what they mean for cancer patients and their families every day.

It hopes the move will increase awareness of the charity’s purpose and impact, as well as support for its work.

The update includes an evolution of the charity’s strapline, from “Together we will beat cancer” to “Together we are beating cancer”.

In a statement, the organisation said this was intended to demonstrate the progress that is being made every day by scientists and researchers across the UK rather than finding a “single cure for cancer”.

Chief executive of Cancer Research UK, Michelle Mitchell OBE, said: “Life-saving research is making a difference right now. Thanks to the continued generosity of our supporters, we’re finding new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. We’re translating scientific discoveries into interventions that benefit everyone, and every day we see the impact of our work on people affected by cancer and their loved ones.

“We’ve come so far but the reality is survival isn’t improving as quickly as we would like. Cancer is one of the world’s greatest health challenges and we’re at a moment of huge opportunity in terms of our ability to understand it and find ways to beat it. We need to seize that opportunity, and research holds the key. We rely on the generosity of the public to continue the pace of our vital work and the perception of our brand is crucial to whether people decide to support us. In a competitive fundraising environment, we must stand out with a compelling message of who we are and the impact we’re having. We have an incredible story to tell, and we need to be better at telling it.

“Our refreshed brand will do this. We’re shining a brighter light on our science and research and the impact it’s having, so people see and feel that our progress is their progress. It’s only happening thanks to their generous support. Cancer is a complex disease, without one single cure. With global collaboration, it will be beaten step by step through small victories. And we’re making those victories. By providing a deeper understanding of how our world-class, cutting-edge research is making an incredible difference right now, we want to inspire people to see our pioneering work as the solution to beating cancer. By doing this, we'll be able to bring everyone together even more strongly to achieve our vision of a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”

As part of the wider brand refresh, Cancer Research UK’s ‘dot’ logo, which represents moments coming together to tell the story of cumulative progress to beat cancer, has also been simplified and a new photography style which captures genuine and authentic moments will be used.

We are

To mark the refresh it also launched an advertising campaign called 'we are'.

Developed with Anomaly and featuring patients and those affected by cancer, the campaign shows the heartwarming moments - such as milestone birthdays, date nights, choir practice, playing sports with friends again, or simply having more time with loved ones - being made possible thanks to the scientific breakthroughs Cancer Research UK has made and continues to make.

The campaign will run from September and will be seen across TV, radio, outdoor, VOD, digital and social media.

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