The brief

Health Care Without Harm Europe appointed us as their creative communications partner to deliver the brand creation and supporting materials for Born Green Generation, a new global initiative aiming to protect current and future generations from the harmful effects of plastics and chemicals in healthcare. Alongside the brand development, we were asked to design a three-year, multi-channel communications strategy that would bring the movement to life. The brand needed to feel approachable and accessible while inspiring behaviour change in clinical environments — an ambitious task for a programme designed to be as enduring as anti-smoking campaigns.

Insights and approach

Our work began with a full immersion phase to shape both the brand and the long-term communications strategy. Through research, landscape audits, analysis, workshops and extensive stakeholder interviews, we built a clear understanding of the initiative’s potential and its constraints.

Key insights guided our approach:

We needed to lead with healthcare messaging rather than environmental framing.
Babies had to sit at the heart of the narrative and visual identity.
The movement should feel positive, achievable and solutions-focused — not overwhelming.

These insights led us to define creative territories that could work across different countries, hospitals and audiences, while remaining rooted in the movement’s mission.

Results

From this work, a clear creative direction emerged: Born Green Generation: Great potential, enormous impact. This territory balanced the scale of the problem with the hopeful, human focus of the initiative.The new visual identity centres on a continuous-line logo depicting a parent and child — a simple, emotive symbol of protection and care. To resonate with healthcare professionals today and parents tomorrow, we developed a bright, flexible visual system inspired by the textures and shapes of wooden children’s toys. It is warm, adaptable and intentionally playful, ensuring the brand can grow with the movement as it expands globally.

The brief

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) represents the global cardiothoracic surgical community. As the organisation embarked on a new five-year strategy, it recognised the need for support from a branding agency to reflect its evolving role and ambitions.Working closely with EACTS colleagues, we were asked to create a brand architecture that would simplify its growing portfolio of sub-brands while strengthening the overall identity. The goal was to position EACTS as a progressive, inclusive and innovative organisation — one that champions excellence in patient outcomes and community collaboration.

Insights and approach

Our work began with a deep immersion into EACTS’s world. We interviewed and surveyed members, employees and Council members, combining insight with strategic analysis. Through workshops and landscape research, we identified opportunities to align the brand’s purpose, values and visual identity with its new strategy.

We developed three creative territories:

Tweaks – modernising core brand elements while maintaining scientific credibility.
Evolution – emphasising EACTS’s educational role with an academic tone.
Revolution – a bold, consumer-facing approach symbolising innovation.

This process revealed that the new brand needed to be forward-looking yet authentic — evolving rather than reinventing — to inspire pride across the EACTS community.

Results

The final brand is built around a clear new vision and purpose:
Better skills, better surgery, better patient outcomes.

The refreshed identity unites the heart and lung communities through a logo that balances precision and collaboration — sharp, clean lines echo surgical tools, while ECG-inspired textures and a renewed colour palette connect to EACTS’s heritage.Together, the new design and messaging system future-proof the organisation and reflect EACTS’s role as a trusted, global leader in cardiothoracic surgery.

We’re at the cusp of a whole bunch of awards celebrations and we have plenty to celebrate! We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for multiple awards for our innovative communications solutions. Of course, the pride and glory of awards are always enjoyable, but more than anything, we’re pleased with what this recognition says about our work.

Having judged many awards ourselves, we know that creativity, innovation and impact are what’s needed to make an award entry stand out from the crowd. At Barley, we blend strategy, creativity, expertise and passion into social purpose communications that deliver real impact for our clients.

Here’s a snapshot of the work we’ve been shortlisted for:

Rebranding a charity for ETP

To mark a new era for ETP, we designed a bold visual identity that unifies perspectives, clarifies the organisation’s message and charts a course for the future. We developed a new website that’s been shortlisted for Best Website or App at the Memcom Excellence Awards and Best Marketing Initiative or Project at the Association Excellence Awards.

Membership organisation, EACTS

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) – a 4,000+ membership organisation for the cardiothoracic surgical community that aims to improve outcomes for heart and lung patients around the world – has been shortlisted for Best In-Person Event of the Year at the Memcom Excellence Awards.

The shortlist for EACTS is for the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting which took place in Vienna in 2023 – and we’re proud to support EACTS to deliver the flagship event. At Barley, our work includes managing organic and paid social media to drive over 5,000 participants to the event, publishing a daily newspaper over the four-day event and working with Go Forth Films to produce a daily highlights video. Barley is again supporting EACTS with this year’s Annual Meeting, which is being held in Lisbon from 9-12 October.

Environmental behaviour change campaign for Keep Britain Tidy

Based on eye-opening data about people’s buying habits, we created and delivered a topical campaign across digital and social platforms, setting our audience the task of buying nothing new for a month. This one is up for Behaviour Change Campaign of the Year at the Global Glood Awards and the Education, Training and Communication Award at the National Sustainability Awards.

Charity communications for Nordoff and Robbins

We’re shortlisted for PR Team of the Year at the Charity Times Awards for our strategic approach to media relations for the inaugural Northern Music Awards – helping Nordoff and Robbins raise their profile, raise funds and demonstrate the impact of their life-changing work as the UK largest provider of music therapy.

Local authority communications for Suffolk Waste Partnership

Our #ShakeItOut campaign to reduce recycling contamination has made a lasting impact, resonating with Suffolk households through eye-catching creative across multiple communications channels. This standout campaign of this year’s awards has so far been shortlisted a whopping eight times.

And there’s more! In addition to our client work, Barley has also been shortlisted for several agency awards, including the Women in Green Business Awards and the Association Excellence Awards.

This recognition is true testament to the dedication, imagination and enthusiasm our team brings to every project. And we’re ever appreciative of our marvellous clients for choosing Barley to deliver across a wide range of their communications needs.

Bring on the celebrations!

Fund established to drive innovation in cardiothoracic surgery

International experts from Europe, the US and Asia convened in Paris on 19th and 20th of April for the second EACTS Innovation Summit.

EACTS, the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic (CT) Surgery, launched a brand-new Innovation Hub at the summit, which will champion investment in innovation to support the development of cardiothoracic surgical treatments and improve outcomes for patients. This reflects the fact that innovation and opportunities for improving patient care by implementing upcoming disruptive techniques in CT surgery are of central importance to EACTS.

At the Innovation Summit, engineers, chemists, molecular biologists, AI and robotics specialists, surgeons, industry leaders and policy makers discussed new technologies, pioneering treatment pathways and future surgical developments. Participants heard some of the very latest disruptive ideas in cardiothoracic surgery, including how AI and immersive technology are changing and will continue to change the entire field of CT surgery, including cardiac ultrastructure imaging, the future of robotic surgery and the engineering and distribution of Super-Organs.

Global specialists were also able to discuss other priority topics, including:

Principles of innovation
Leveraging ChatGPT4 in Cardiac Surgery
Heart valve of the future
Extracorporeal circulation (CPB, ECMO, ECLS, hibernation, hypothermia and organ repair)
Artificial Intelligence for CT surgery
Lymphatics in CT surgery.

Speaking at the Innovation Summit, past EACTS President (2022) and Co-Chair of the summit,Friedhelm Beyersdorf,said: “Emerging technologies and artificial intelligence are changing cardiothoracic surgery. We know that innovation often takes place at the borders between specialties and that is why we brought together delegates from across disciplines. Our second Innovation Summit with clear action from the discussion groups alongside the creation of our new Innovation Hub provide a clear message that EACTS is serious about innovation.”

As part of the new Innovation Hub, launched at the summit, EACTS members will be able to apply for grant funding to stimulate research and advance innovation in cardiothoracic surgery. Grants will be awarded from a fund that EACTS has recently established. The grants will be available to EACTS members only, through a competitive process over a five-year period. EACTS will be particularly interested to see applications that focus on the priority topics from the Innovation Summit and that are likely to create real-life opportunities to improve patient outcomes. The grant application process is set to launch in October 2024.

The grants will be overseen by EACTS’ new Innovation Committee made up of research, academic and industry experts. Past EACTS Presidents Friedhelm Beyersdorf and Mark Hazekamp have been appointed Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. Recruitment for additional members is underway.

Past EACTS President (2021) and Co-Chair of the Innovation Summit,Mark Hazekamp, said: “The Innovation Hub will stimulate new concepts and support inventors and creators to bring their ideas to clinical use. Using, implementing and further developing these upcoming opportunities is a priority for us at EACTS in order to further improve outcomes for patients with heart and lung conditions now and in the years ahead.”

Interest in innovation is high with EACTS members submitting 55 high quality abstracts for presentation at the Innovation Summit. Fourteen abstracts were selected alongside four exciting ‘wild card’ submissions.

Due to the number of high quality submissions, a further ten of the highest rated abstracts will be shared with delegates during one of two innovation sessions at the 38^th EACTS Annual Meeting, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal this October. Four keynote presentations specially selected from this year’s summit as the most innovative and thought-provoking will be presented in a second innovation session.

The brief

Each year, Barley supports the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) to promote its flagship Annual Meeting — one of the most significant gatherings in the cardiothoracic calendar.

EACTS tasked Barley with creating attractive branding – developing a fresh, distinctive brand identity for each year’s event — one that captures the character of the host city while maintaining strong visual continuity and recognition among its global professional audience.

Insights and approach

Our creative process begins with in-depth research into the cultural, historical and scientific character of each location — uncovering insights that shape the design, colour palette, typography and strapline.

For example, Vienna’s 2023 identity, “Raising the bar”, reflected the city’s musical heritage, weaving subtle treble and bass motifs into the event logo. In 2022, Milan’s “Learning together” branding drew inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, symbolising precision and shared learning. The previous year’s “Reconnecting” in Barcelona echoed the spirit of renewal after COVID-19, using Gaudí-inspired mosaic textures.Barley’s designs are applied across every touchpoint — from the EACTS website and social media to venue signage, flags, exhibition materials and delegate lanyards — creating a seamless experience that unites online and in-person engagement.

Results

Over three consecutive years, EACTS’ Annual Meeting branding has become instantly recognisable for its creativity and relevance to each city’s story. Each visual identity has strengthened audience recognition, enhanced event visibility, and reinforced EACTS’s reputation for excellence and innovation in global cardiac and thoracic surgery.The upcoming 2024 branding for Lisbon continues this legacy with the theme “Navigating new horizons”, symbolising progress and exploration in the field.

The brief

The Confederation of Paper Industries asked us to develop and deliver a circular economy campaign to launch Papercycle — the UK’s first recyclability assessment method for paper and board packaging. The service helps producers and specifiers understand whether their packaging can be recycled in standard mills, in specialist mills or not at all.Developed following CPI’s Design for Recyclability Guidelines, Papercycle supports organisations preparing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms from 2024. Our task was to raise awareness of the service, highlight its benefits and encourage industry engagement.

Insights and approach

We began with an in-depth immersion into Papercycle to understand how the service supports sustainable service launch goals and why consistent recyclability assessments matter in the context of new EPR regulations.

A workshop with the Papercycle team helped us pinpoint the priority audiences — brand owners, retailers, packaging designers and material developers — and build a clear narrative and messaging framework to motivate action.With this foundation, we created a channel plan spanning social media, targeted media relations, paid placements, stakeholder communications and updates to the Papercycle website. Working as an extension of the in-house team, we produced web copy, engaging social assets and a stakeholder toolkit to support roll-out. Meanwhile, our media team secured opportunities across specialist and mainstream channels to reach the audiences that mattered most.

Results

The campaign delivered strong awareness and industry interest in the new Papercycle service. Coverage across trade, sustainability and packaging media landed clear, positive messages about its role in supporting the circular economy and helping organisations prepare for EPR. Our work helped Papercycle reach decision-makers at scale, drive traffic to the service and underpin wider engagement with CPI’s recyclability guidance.

The brief

ETP – tea’s global membership organisation – needed to rearticulate its mission and purpose to support its ambitious Strategy2030. Following a competitive tender, Barley was appointed to reposition the organisation and develop a new brand.

Our challenge was to unify the perspectives of ETP’s members and Board to create clear, consistent messaging that resonated across diverse audiences. Visually, the brand needed to reflect ETP’s credibility and pro-business approach while remaining relevant to everyone working in tea.

Insights and approach

The project began with ETP’s vision: a thriving, socially just and environmentally sustainable tea sector. Given its diverse global membership, Barley focused on understanding ETP’s structure, culture and communications from every angle.

Through surveys, interviews, and workshops with over 80 members, we uncovered key insights around perception and positioning. The existing name – Ethical Tea Partnership – carried colonial connotations and suggested certification, which no longer reflected ETP’s strategic direction.

Using both qualitative feedback and AI-assisted research to analyse definitions of ‘ethical’ and ‘partnership’, Barley identified the need for a name change while maintaining brand recognition. This insight shaped a clear brand strategy and creative direction.

Results

We helped ETP craft a mission aligned with its vision: catalysing systemic change to benefit everybody in tea – particularly in producing regions.

Our messaging and tone of voice guidance captured credibility, compassion and collaboration, ensuring consistency across communications.

We recommended shortening the organisation’s name to ETP, retaining brand legacy while removing outdated and restrictive associations. Working with design partner Yoke, we developed a brand identity that placed people at the heart of tea’s future:

A logo uniting tea, people and the world – elements greater than the sum of their parts.
Overlapping shapes reflecting ETP’s role at the intersection of industry challenges and opportunities.
Organic textures and warm photography highlighting the humanity behind the work.

The result is a refreshed, authentic and globally relevant identity – one that reflects ETP’s evolution as a catalyst for change.

The brief

The Eurekas is an annual physics competition for students aged 11–16 across the UK and Ireland. It forms part of the Institute of Physics’ (IOP) Limit Less campaign, which aims to diversify the young people who continue with physics after 16 and to encourage students to see physics differently.Following the successful 2022 launch, IOP reappointed Barley to promote the 2023 competition. Our objectives were to reach more of the campaign’s diverse target audiences and increase the number of submissions from the previous year.

Insights and approach

Our campaign focused on parents and teachers who would support students entering the competition, while also directly engaging young people aged 11–16 — particularly those from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in physics.

To keep the competition inclusive and open to a wide range of interests, we developed the 2023 theme: how does physics power your passion?

Using insights from the 2022 evaluation, we refined our strategy. This included bringing in influencers to extend reach and credibility. Charismatic teacher Bobby Seagull encouraged his students to think differently about physics, while engineer and mother Dr Samira Ahmed created warm, engaging videos that introduced her audience to the competition.To reinforce scientific credibility, we secured physics communicator Alom Shaha and Eurekas ambassador Shivani Dave as judges, alongside campaign creator Ray Mitchell.

Results

We doubled the number of submissions from 2022 and increased participation from students and schools by around half.

Our organic social campaign generated strong engagement, achieving half a million impressions and 10,000 interactions. Paid social activity reached 200,000 people.

Influencer activity performed well too, with 19 posts generating 50,000 video views, 112,000 impressions and 2,000 engagements.Local media outreach amplified the winner announcement in Leicester, securing interviews on BBC Radio Leicester and Capital FM Leicestershire, broadcast coverage on ITV News Central, and an article in the Leicester Times.

The brief

The 37th EACTS Annual Meeting — held in Vienna — is the most important date in the cardiothoracic calendar, bringing together nearly 5,000 professionals from 103 countries. EACTS asked Barley to drive attendance, enhance engagement, and ensure delegates were informed and inspired throughout the event. The goal was to showcase the world-leading science and global collaboration shaping the future of cardiothoracic surgery.

Insights and approach

Barley worked closely with EACTS and its global community of cardiothoracic surgeons to deliver an integrated communications strategy that supported every stage of the event — before, during and after the meeting.

Our multi-channel approach combined content creation, on-site coordination, and digital storytelling to enhance engagement and amplify the event’s impact. Highlights included:

Producing three editions of Daily News, capturing standout moments from each day
Managing communications through the EACTS App to help delegates navigate the Austria Center Vienna
Promoting key research from EACTS journals linked to the event sessions
Driving live engagement through EACTS ambassadors across LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook
Partnering with Distant Future to create a pre-event campaign video
Working with GoForth to produce post-event highlight films for YouTube
Running a targeted email marketing campaign celebrating the event’s world-class science

Results

Barley’s communications helped make the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting one of the most successful to date — reaching a global audience of clinicians, researchers and industry partners.

The #EACTS2023 campaign generated over 10,900 engagements, 2,650 social posts, and more than 15,000 video views. Across platforms, the event achieved 17,000+ social media engagements and 435,000 impressions, reinforcing EACTS’ position at the heart of global cardiothoracic innovation.

The brief

ICRA is the world’s largest gathering of robotics and automation experts. In 2023, the conference came to the UK for the first time, held at ExCeL London.Barley was appointed to promote a global conference of this scale by raising ICRA’s profile in the UK, driving registrations, and managing media accreditation. With conference media relations taking place amid a surge in negative AI headlines, we also set out to communicate innovation in a positive, human-centred way — reframing robotics and automation as technologies that can benefit society rather than fuel concern.

Insights and approach

We began with a strategic workshop to understand ICRA’s ambitions, audiences and concerns. From this we developed a set of clear, consistent messages used across all media engagement. These emphasised the real-world value of robotics across sectors and showcased the breadth of innovation from more than 100 exhibitors.

To ensure global visibility, we prioritised London-based international wires — including AP, Reuters, PA Media and Getty — alongside national, science and technology titles. We coordinated two targeted media tours, giving outlets such as AP, The Times, Metro and New Scientist direct access to key spokespeople.On-site at ExCeL London, we arranged interviews with BBC Click, BBC World Service and AP, and secured a dedicated ITV London package featuring ICRA’s schools outreach programme. This combination of proactive story development, structured access and responsive handling ensured strong media uptake in the UK and internationally.

Results

ICRA 2023 welcomed more than 6,000 delegates to London, supported by extensive global media coverage that aligned with the conference’s core messages.

Content from AP, PA Media, Reuters and Getty generated widespread international pick-up. AP’s feature on a poetry-writing humanoid robot alone was broadcast by more than 30 TV channels worldwide, with a social version reaching almost 26 million people. BBC Click produced an in-depth segment from the exhibition floor, while ITV London shone a spotlight on ICRA’s engagement with local schools.High-value print and online coverage included The Times, The Independent, The i, Daily Star, MSN, Yahoo News UK & Ireland, AOL, Daily Mail, Metro, London Evening Standard, Herald Scotland and New Scientist — which ran a first-person feature, complete with video, on controlling a robotic avatar.

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