BRAND BY ME’S 2025

As we reflect on 2025, we’re struck by how much this year has asked of us,and how much it has reaffirmed why Brand By Me exists in the first place.

We’ve spent the year supporting organisations to move beyond surface-level commitments and towards work that is accountable, people-centred and rooted in justice. As we look ahead to our 10th birthday in 2026, this year feels like both a reckoning and a recommitment.

Here’s a summary of what 2025 looked like for us:

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JANUARY

Black joy, community and belonging

Join Our Table

Our founder, Collette Philip, spoke about Black joy and community at the first-ever Join Our Table mixer. It was a powerful reminder that joy is not separate from justice - it is part of how we survive and build together. Starting the year grounded in community set the tone for everything that followed.

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FEBRUARY

Building accountable brands

Age International

We conducted an anti-racism brand audit for Age International, continuing our work with organisations who are serious about understanding how power, language and systems show up in their brand - and what it takes to change them.

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MARCH

Momentum and depth: a defining month for Brand By Me

Age International & GST Hospital

We delivered multiple anti-racism and inclusive communications audits, including further work with Age International and GST Hospital.

Culture Shift

Collette spoke at the annual Culture Shift conference on the power of creating safe, brave spaces and  why psychological safety is a prerequisite for meaningful change.

DISMANTLE.AI

We completed the beta version of DISMANTLE.AI, our AI-powered anti-racism brand audit tool, designed to help organisations interrogate their brand at scale whilst staying rooted in human accountability.

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APRIL

Visibility, voice and longevity

Adweek Europe

Collette was a keynote speaker at Adweek Europe, speaking on behalf of Join Our Table. This was an opportunity to ensure power, community and justice were not sidelined in creative and marketing spaces.

Wellcome Trust

We collaborated on a shoot with Sulaiman, marking five years of partnership, for our client Wellcome Trust. Our work with Wellcome has evolved from an initial audit into team workshops, accountability sessions, learning programmes and practical tools to embed equity beyond one-off interventions. Longevity matters - and this partnership is proof of that.

Brand By Me turns 9

We celebrated Brand By Me’s 9th birthday. Celebrating 9 years of doing this work - in shifting and often resistant conditions - is something we hold with pride and responsibility.

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MAY

Grief, resistance and why this work matters

George Floyd

5 years on from the murder of George Floyd, the milestone felt sobering. Not just because of what was lost, but because of how much progress has stalled. We’re witnessing widespread defunding, retrenchment and hostility towards equity work across sectors.

At that moment, analysis wasn’t enough. Collette wrote and performed a poem because sometimes reflection needs to be felt; because grief, rage and hope are all part of this work; and because anti-racism is not just strategic - it is human.

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JUNE

Global conversations and collective care

Workshop at SXSW

We created Black Women’s Hour, a workshop led by Collette and Elizabeth Anyaegbuna at SXSW in London.

Amnesty International & WaterAid

Collette delivered an inclusive communications update session for Amnesty International and spoke at WaterAid’s online staff learning week about the power of safe, brave spaces.

Black Minds Matter

Collette attended Black Minds Matter UK’s 5th birthday, celebrating an organisation doing vital work at the intersection of mental health and racial justice.

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JULY

Tangible Impact

Youth Concern

Completing the Youth Concern rebrand was one of the most meaningful pieces of work we delivered this year.

Youth Concern needed a brand that could clearly communicate who they are, who they serve and the outcomes they achieve, with the aim of to attracting funding, partners and long-term support. Their existing brand simply wasn’t enabling that.

Through audits, stakeholder interviews, positioning workshops and implementation support, we helped build a robust brand strategy that translated their purpose, vision and values into a framework for growth.

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AUGUST

Naming racism in public spaces

Collette on Channel 5

Collette featured in Channel 5’s Brand Meghan: Is She Worth It?, a documentary on Meghan Markle, where Collette offered commentary on the racism Meghan has faced since joining the Royal Family.

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SEPTEMBER

Co-production in action

CharityComms

We sponsored a CharityComms seminar on co-production, with a keynote delivered by Collette. The seminar explored why and how we put co-production at the heart of communications;sharing practical shifts that organisations can make to move beyond extractive consultation.

Third Sector and Black Talent Awards

We attended the Black Talent Awards, after winning Small Business of the Year last year, as well as the Third Sector Awards;  continuing to support spaces that centre black excellence and equity.

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OCTOBER

Expanding the work

Shelter

We welcomed Shelter, a UK charity that helps people with housing issues  as a new client; delivering an anti-racist brand audit.

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NOVEMBER

Community, legacy and looking ahead

2025 PRECIOUS Awards

We proudly sponsored PRECIOUS’ Creative Business of the Year award for the fourth year running. Collette delivered a speech on the PRECIOUS Awards’ necessity, before presenting Creative Business of the Year to this year's winner, Louder Than Words.

Bold Type

Collette led a session for Ettie Bailey-King’s Bold Type course, continuing conversations about power, privilege and responsibility in creative industries.

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LOOKING AHEAD

2025 reminded us that this work is not linear.

There will be progress and pushback. Celebration and grief. Momentum and resistance.

As we move towards Brand By Me’s 10th year in 2026, we remain clear on what we stand for:

• Equity is not a trend.
• Brand is never neutral.
• Silence is always a choice.
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To our clients, collaborators and peers - thank you for choosing us. We move forward grounded, committed and ready for what’s next.

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