&PROUD

When we discovered &Proud, we eagerly approached the founders, Beatrice and George, to offer our skills to their non-profit project and brand. In 2018, they set out to tackle the ever-growing waste management crisis in Mzuzu and subsequently made a huge impact on their community; we hoped to elevate and share their inspiring story. Over 8 weeks, despite having the internet speed of 0.5mbps, daily power cuts and minimal budget, we worked on-site in Malawi, Africa doing research, strategy, photography, brand and communication design. 

The community-facing project, Clean & Proud, collects and recycles local waste in addition to educating the community through outreach programmes. The team is made up of local residents who are permanent, trained on-site, paid a fair wage and supported in many ways beyond employment. The team transforms the local waste into products that are sold under the customer-facing fashion brand, &Proud (previously C&P). Every time you buy an &Proud product you support, Clean & Proud, the non-profit project. 

The &Proud visual identity takes its visual cues from the life, beauty and vibrance of Malawi in a respectful and honest way. The rich colour palette, inspired by the hues found in the landscape, to the bold illustration style and people-centric photography creates a striking and confident personality, with a pinch of Malawian quirk. Photography played a vital role in the identity so as to highlight the faces behind the products and to shed light on their meticulous attention to detail. 

With every decision we made, we aimed to keep the people and story at the core of the brand narrative.