RSPCA gets a certified makeover.
RSPCA Australia’s farm animal welfare certification program has been rebranded to RSPCA Certified, marking its first major brand refresh in 17 years.
The rebrand, led by strategic advisory firm Nature in partnership with creative agency the thrills, replaces the existing RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme name and identity.
Image: the thrills
The updated brand is designed to help consumers and stakeholders more easily identify products that meet the RSPCA’s animal welfare standards amid what the organisation describes as a crowded and often misleading labelling landscape.
A strategic shift in naming and positioning
Nature Head of Strategy Aliya Hasan said the name change was a deliberate strategic move.
“We received the brief from RSPCA Australia and engaged the thrills to spearhead creative development, while Nature led the rebrand as a strategic step to make the RSPCA’s comprehensive and credible farming certification standards the core brand platform,” Hasan said.
“We treated naming as a critical strategic lever. ‘Certified’ communicates verification and ongoing assessment of standards in a much clearer and more compelling way than ‘approved’, which can imply the job is done.
“That seemingly small but powerful word change, along with a streamlined brand architecture, strengthens the program’s role at shelf and supports a more consistent system across packaging and partner touchpoints to ultimately help consumers make conscientious choices.”
RSPCA’s standards go beyond legal requirements in Australia, covering hundreds of requirements across animal-specific guidelines, including housing conditions, stocking densities, enrichment and low-stress handling.
A refreshed visual system
The new RSPCA Certified Welfare Standards logo signals assessment against RSPCA’s standards and introduces a unified brand architecture across all protein types.
the thrills Managing Partner Kate Richardson said the visual identity was designed for clarity and scale.
“We developed the visual identity and guidelines for RSPCA Certified to create a system that is distinctive, usable and consistent at scale,” Richardson said.
Image: the thrills
“The refreshed use of the iconic RSPCA blue strengthens memorability and cut-through, while the combined animal icon acts as a unified symbol representing all animals raised to RSPCA’s standards, reinforcing collective commitment and credibility.
“Shaped over several years of consultation with stakeholders, the system is designed to work across on-pack, in-store, foodservice and advertising environments as the certification transitions.”
Transition underway
Consumers will see both the previous and new logos on packaging and menus during the transition period, with the former RSPCA Approved identity to be phased out over time.
Both marks indicate products are sourced from farms certified under RSPCA standards as the new RSPCA Certified identity rolls out nationwide.
CAMPAIGN CREDITS
Strategy, brand architecture and insights – Nature
Key personnel – Head of Strategy Aliya Hasan, Director Lizi Pritchard, Associate Director Jesse Ball and Senior Consultant Hannah Ahthiong
Visual identity and creative – the thrills
Key personnel – Managing Partner Kate Richardson, Creative Director Paul Greskie, Client Director Gemma Tedford, Design Director Katie Richardson and Designer Tim Arnold
PR agency – Soda Communications
Top Image: the thrills