Over the last two years, there has been an alarming rise in mental health issues which has caused an explosion in the number of young people suffering from eating disorders. And quite simply, there is not enough support ‘out there’ to reverse this phenomemum.
Enter Jenny Tomei, a nutritional therapist and eating disorder coach, who herself managed to recover from a six-year period suffering from anorexia nervosa. Jenny’s research revealed some stark statistics:
• Hospital admissions for those with eating disorders rose by a third in two years.
• One in five women screened positive for an eating disorder in 2019.
• The National Charity for Eating Disorders (Beat) reported a 140% rise in support calls during the first year of Covid-19
And, while Jenny already had a personal training business and brand – where she openly talked about her support for those with eating disorders – she knew she wanted to launch a new brand that made that her clear out-and-out focus.
Developing a highly personal brand
Our initial challenge on this project was to create a name and brand identity for Jenny’s new ‘not for profit’ start-up. Then, secondly, to develop a fresh new website.
Because the heart of Jen’s mission is about educating and empowering young people, and enabling them to ‘wise up’ at an early stage, we hit on the existing expression with that very meaning: to ‘gen up’. By switching the ‘G’ for a ‘J’, we had ‘JenUp’ – a suitably snappy and easy-to-remember name with positive ‘upbeat’ overtones. (As Jen’s work is all about changing the trajectory of young people’s lives.)
The energy and passion which Jen brings is reflected through the brand by an upward-looking logo, vibrant colour palette and a website which is designed to inform and inspire young people, parents, carers and teachers.
Making a positive difference
Through our work, JenUp is reaching out and supporting young people whose lives are on those downward trajectories, much as Jenny’s once was. The website is a place where people can come and access messages of hope, as well as finding practical information and first steps needed to move their lives ‘up’ to a better place.
The credibility of the brand has already resulted in partnerships with local authorities, a major safeguarding organisation and the National Centre for Easting Disorders. Furthermore, Jen has managed to attracted additional funding and is now regularly invited to speak at schools and colleges.
