ResponsibleSteel - Shape History

A NEW BRAND & WEBSITE FOR A NEW ERA OF SUSTAINABLE STEEL ACCREDITATION

Partner: ResponsibleSteel
Cause: Climate & Biodiversity ・ Responsible Business & Purpose Led Brands

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Brand & Content
Digital & Tech

Decarbonisation across emission-heavy industries such as steel manufacturing will only come through collaboration, transparency, and rigorous transition plans. That’s why we were so excited to work with ResponsibleSteel, the world’s leading sustainable steel certification, an industry which currently contributes to 10% of global emissions according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

They commissioned Shape History to redefine its brand and website to amplify the reach and credibility of the ResponsibleSteel International Standard and certification programme.

World leading certification

In one of the most critical industries needed to decarbonise

Design first Webflow CMS

Utilised to enable elevated user experience

48 steel manufacturers

accredited or undergoing audits of their sustainability transition

The challenge

ResponsibleSteel’s aim is to unite companies across the steel supply chain, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders in a collaborative effort toward sustainable transition of the steel industry. But neither their brand nor website reflected this world leading positioning or their role in the decarbonisation of the industry. ResponsibleSteel found it hard to balance both their corporate and charitable image. They wanted their brand & website to be human-centred whilst still retaining the professional, technical information needed to engage future investors.

The brand’s focus on steel lacked warmth, failing to show the impact of the great work the organisation had supported in global communities. Whilst the old website lacked a dynamic and modern feel and had an excess of information and outdated materials. This was creating frustration for users trying to manoeuvre through it.

The solution

The new design system underscores ResponsibleSteel’s global expertise and value to certified partners, which the previous identity was failing to convey. The result is a unified yet expandable brand identity that seamlessly integrates with their logo (where much of the brand equity existed), enhancing its stature as a worldwide symbol of thought leadership. In particular, the introduction of orange-blue gradient to the colour palette now reflects the sustainability journey and different points at which manufacturers are on to ensure the brand is truly reflective of the organisation’s purpose.

The website was built on Webflow for its enhanced design capabilities. The content management system (CMS) enables a more interactive experience and interface for users, whilst simultaneously offering a simple, comprehensive backend for ongoing management, through the advanced design capabilities.

New features include an interactive globe to showcase the true breadth of the organisation’s certifications, as well as a live certification process table giving potential purchasers a clear indication of where steelmaking sites are on their sustainability journey. Updates to filters and search functions streamline user navigation, ensuring seamless access to pertinent information.

Integration of purpose and brand

Building in key elements of the organisation’s purpose into the visual identity reinforces the connection between brand and strategy - the incorporation of a new colour gradient brings to life the certification process in a creative way that gives flexibility to tell the story of organisation’s status on their sustainability transition.

Interactivity, but not for the sake of it

Interactive globes are a great way to showcase the true breadth of an organisation’s remit, whilst in this instance whilst simultaneously created a quick directory to find, locate and learn about accredited manufacturers

“As a company which is dedicated to maximising social impact and sustainability, Shape History was the natural choice for this project and we couldn’t be more pleased with the way they have captured our essence as an organisation and transformed it into a powerful brand and a fresh and dynamic website.”

Savannah Hayes, Communications Manager

It seems like the most obvious insight, but you’d be amazed at how many websites have clunky, difficult to navigate resources and content. Not ResponsibleSteel (anymore)! Through several consultations, we identified the pain points for users and where the highest drop off rates occurred – this largely came down to inaccessible resources and information. So we littered the site with quick to use filters that made prioritising content at the click of a button.