What makes a shared brand meaningful across our locations?

Make local belonging part of the shared identity by drawing on employees and the places where they work. First Names Group needed a unifying vision after a management buyout, with offices across numerous global locations and siloed teams. Interviews with employees and stakeholders identified a business defined by its people and the confidence and trust they instilled.

The new First Names Group identity featured the actual first names of every employee. Commissioned photography of its distinct locations brought local heritage, pride and commitment to communities into the shared visual language. The approach offers a practical way to represent a single business without removing the local characteristics employees recognise.

Recognition also shaped the introduction: employees discovered the brand at the same time through a short film starring colleagues, screened in local cinemas. Business cards, launch packs and offices carried the identity into everyday use. Joint research by the Institute of Internal Communication and Ipsos Karian and Box in 2025 found that 64% of UK employees say their job is an important part of their identity.