Creating a brand for Kit Us Out to capture the energy of its founder’s mission, to champion sport as a positive force, that’s more accessible and inclusive. Levelling the playing field for athletes, youth and communities wherever they compete.

Kit Us Out

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#### In brief
No athlete should be held back by lack of access to the tools they need to succeed. From clothing to kit bags, racquets to running shoes.

Alex McDougal Mitchell launched Kit Us Out during the 2012 London Paralympic Games, while volunteering as a Gamesmaker. He noticed some athletes were being excluded because they didn’t have the necessary regulation kit to take part. They’d worked so hard for the opportunity to compete at the highest level, only to be stopped in their tracks by something that many of us take for granted: basic sports kit. Sport is a universal pursuit. But no matter how good you are, entry level or elite, you need the right resources. 

We created a brand that captures the energy and passion of its founder’s mission, with a bold and dynamic identity to drive awareness and garner support, and communicate the raw, emotive stories of athletes that it wanted to tell.  

#### What we did
Kit Us Out removes barriers to sport by providing the equipment, apparel or gear needed by competing athletes. Literally levelling the playing field, making sports more accessible and more inclusive. Kit Us Out champions sport as a positive force in people’s lives – and something that should always be within reach.

The visual identity is inspired by the very sports to which the charity enables access. Court, track and pitch markings are embedded in the visual language, complemented by a pattern, named the ‘fingerprint of sport’, evoking the raw tactility of competing – whether through the track under your fingers at the start line, the grip of a javelin, or the tread of your boxing boots. Brought to life with grit, holding a mirror up to the sports environment the brand would live in.  

Design is a team sport. We collaborated with celebrated acrylic fusion artist, Craig Black, and designers from the D&AD Shift Programme to create bespoke Acrylic Fusion artworks of sport equipment that would help enhance the brand with wider audiences. Each Acrylic Fusion paint pour was a unique art-form just like each athlete participating at the games. Each art piece had a quote from its beneficiary, brought to life by D&AD Shift artists, Ellen Walpole, Robi Farkas and Raafaye Ali.

 The unique pieces were launched in a roadshow around the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and then auctioned to raise funds for Kit Us Out – an important step towards the charity’s ambition of becoming self-funded.

To date, Kit Us Out has given over 30,000 pieces of kit to people to make participation more equitable around the world. Since its launch at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, it has formed partnerships with the Paralympic Committee, National Parathletic Federation, London Team Sport and Sport England, and supported UK keyworkers with essential kit during the Covid-19 outbreak, providing a change of clothes during the crisis. Levelling the playing field for athletes, youth and communities wherever they compete.

> “Every single Acrylic Fusion paint pour is a unique art-form just like each athlete participating at the Commonwealth Games and it was important to represent that.”
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> *— Craig Black, Visual Artist*

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> “Design Bridge and Partners has given us an amazing brand that truly reflects the work we do, they have helped us hone our mission and values, enabling us to look to the future with confidence, pride and purpose.’
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> *— Alex McDougal Mitchell, Founder, Kit Us Out*

Kit Us Out is a national sports organisation created to remove barriers to sport by providing the equipment, apparel or gear needed by competing athletes who lack the basic resources to compete at their highest level. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, we created a bold and dynamic identity to drive awareness and garner support, and collaborated with celebrated artist, Craig Black, to create bespoke artworks, raising funds to support Kit Us Out on its mission.

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Design Bridge and Partners | Kit Us Out

Superunion and Design Bridge come together to create Design Bridge and Partners. Redefining what design is and what design can do for brands, businesses, people and the planet. We are a revolutionary design partnership.

Design Bridge and Superunion come together to create Design Bridge and Partners. Redefining what design is and what design can do for brands, businesses, people and the planet. We are a revolutionary design partnership.

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Kit Us Out

Creating a brand for Kit Us Out to capture the energy of its founder’s mission, to champion sport as a positive force, that’s more accessible and inclusive. Levelling the playing field for athletes, youth and communities wherever they compete.