Introducing the Things

We knew that our core customer group for British Gas wanted reassurance. The brand research done with customer focus groups revealed that customers want to feel reassured by us , which in turn means they will consider joining or staying with us. When testing different focus areas, reliability had the strongest appeal across all segments.

The Brand team explored several ways we could bring reliability to life for customers in a simple and consistent way to bring warmth to our brand.

Through testing, we had a clear front runner in the fluent device, ‘The Things’ as they are:

• eye-catching, modern and memorable
• relatable, inclusive and for everyone
• flexible as a long term brand platform

Our ambition

Identify the key ‘Brand Moments’ in our touchpoints for our initial brand platform launch. These “moments” are normally points at which the emotional and logical sides of a consumer’s brain simultaneously engage while creating a long-term perception of a brand through journey experiences, defining a brand’s success.

• Consistency at scale: The brand refresh had to be rolled out across multiple channels, with varying content and campaign needs. The website and app could be updated through a design system whereas comms had to be updated individually.
• Seamless transition: Customers familiar with the current visual identity needed to recognise the brand while experiencing its evolution without a disruption to customer experience expectations.
• Performance-driven design: Visuals needed to be bold and modern without sacrificing readability, deliverability, accessibility, or loading performance.

Bringing the Things to life across British Gas

To bring the Things to life across multiple touchpoints, I led a collaborative design workshop focused on reimagining key customer journeys for British Gas across both energy and services products. Together, we identified the moments that mattered most and aligned on where the Things could add real value and personality.

With those touchpoints defined, I began exploring how the Things assets could live within our existing visual identity. The challenge was a balancing act: stay true to our current brand guidelines to enable a fast rollout, while introducing something fresh and distinctive enough to spark intrigue and recognition.

We brought this vision to life in a few key ways:

• Creating a tailored Figma design library for a range of components including hero banners, feature blocks, product cards and a Things assete library that could adapt to different layouts
• Embedding the Things into the app experience, including introducing them as selectable profile avatars, giving customers a playful, personal connection
• Leveraging our Cyan tint palette to create contrast in digital channels, allowing the Things to stand out and naturally draw the eye
• Designing narrative-driven web pages and emails, where the Things guide users through content, turning passive scrolling into a more engaging, story-led journey

The result was a seamless integration of something new into something familiar, creating moments of delight without disrupting the overall brand experience.