Jeugdstem · Raven Lakerveld

01Challenge

AKJ, short for Advies- en Klachtenbureau Jeugdzorg, supports children, young people and their (foster) parents with independent confidential advice when they deal with youth care. The organisation noticed that its name and identity didn’t connect well with children and young people, especially those aged 14 to 18. Many people didn’t know what the abbreviation stood for, and the word klachtenbureau (complaints office) didn’t fully reflect the supportive role of its confidential advisers.

AKJ was ready for a new name and a fresh identity that would be easier for young people to find, fit the way they communicate today, and translate well into digital content.

02Context

AKJ works in a sensitive field: youth care, the Child Protection Board and Veilig Thuis. The organisation reaches a vulnerable audience through many different channels, from Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and X to its own website and physical youth care locations.

Before designing, we explored the world of the target group. We looked at the brands that appeal to young people, such as Nike, Apple and Spotify, and saw that their names are often short and their logos typographic and black. We combined this with colour theory and studies on the colour preferences of children and young people at different ages, and looked at the visual style of other organisations in youth care, where dark blue, purple and red are common. From a long list of name ideas, the three favourites were tested in an online survey among parents and professionals, and Jeugdstem came out as the clear favourite.

Three visual directions, each with its own logo, colour palette and moodboard: warm and natural, realistic and honest, and fresh and energetic.

Three logo concepts for the new name Jeugdstem.

03Approach

This was a team project at Concreet geeft vorm, where I worked as a digital designer, and the brand story was written together with a copywriter. Based on the research, we worked out three visual directions, each with its own logo, moodboard and colour palette. Once AKJ had chosen a direction, I translated the visual style into many touchpoints: social media posts and templates, print work such as reports, annual reports and folders, the image selection, the website structure and UI, an introduction film and the brand guidelines. After the launch, we developed three campaigns and a recruitment campaign to find new confidential advisers.

A new nameFrom a long list of ideas to Jeugdstem, tested among parents and professionals.
Brand explorationsThree visual directions, each with its own logo, moodboard and colour palette.
Brand guideClear guidelines to apply the new identity consistently across every channel.
Bringing the brand to lifeThe visual style translated into social media, print, the website and an introduction film.

Hands holding the Jeugdstem brochure Ken je rechten, with a photo of a young person wearing headphones on the cover — The Ken je rechten brochure, which explains to young people in youth care what their rights are.

The final logo, with Stem in bold to give the young person a strong voice.

04Result

Within a year, a new name, identity, website and positioning that connect with the audience. The campaigns raised awareness of Jeugdstem through channels such as TikTok, Instagram, NPO Start and FunX radio, among young people as well as stakeholders such as juvenile court judges.

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Interested in working together? I'd love to hear from you.

Raven LakerveldUX/UI · Visual & brandinfo@ravenlakerveld.nl

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