VISUAL COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE: A CASE STUDY ON THE CONSTRUCTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OASIS BRAND (LEIRIA)

Abstract

This article presents a case study on the process of developing the visual identity for OASIS – Support and Solidarity Organization for Social Integration – an institution with more than thirty years of existence, located in Leiria (Portugal). To understand the methods, processes and meanings inherent in the creation of the OASIS brand, we also sought to understand how the implementation of a visual identity can contribute to the creation of value in social organizations of this nature, with a strong sense of community involvement. Developed in 2023, the visual identity was designed to update the institution’s communication language, reflecting its current positioning, mission and values. Besides looking at the process, meanings and resources used in the design, this work also aims to analyse the perceived impact of the brand’s implementation. The reconciliation of different qualitative strategies, as well as the use of assumptions from Social Semiotics and Multimodal Brand Discourse, allow us to focus on the possibilities of communication design intervention in social organisations and the perception of its practice as an important element as a promotor of social change.