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Trade Association Forum (TAF)

A Refreshed Brand Identity and Flexible Umbraco Website for Trade Association Forum

Trade Association Forum (TAF) is the UK’s collective voice for trade bodies, representing more than 175 associations and nearly 190,000 businesses. To remain relevant and strengthen its position as the national hub for best practice and collaboration, TAF needed a modern identity and a digital platform that reflected its inclusive, future-facing ethos.

Cantarus partnered with TAF to deliver a refreshed brand and a new Umbraco-powered website, equipping the trade association community with a stronger, more inclusive identity and a digital foundation to support long-term growth.

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The Challenge

Although TAF was already a respected voice in the sector, its brand and website no longer reflected the organisation’s inclusivity or authority. The identity felt dated, limiting its ability to resonate with a new generation of association leaders; while the website lacked the flexibility and engagement tools needed to showcase TAF’s value to members, prospects, and government stakeholders.

TAF approached Cantarus with clear objectives – to reimagine the brand to be modern, approachable, and representative of its unique position, and deliver a new website that could evolve alongside the organisation.

The Partnership

Our work with TAF began with an on-site discovery workshop at our Manchester HQ, immersing both teams in the world of UK trade associations. This collaborative approach gave us a clear understanding of TAF’s audiences, member priorities, and long-term vision for the sector.

Together, we identified three priorities to shape the new brand and website:

  • Communicate directly to TAF members and prospects, not just about the organisation itself.
  • Highlight TAF’s unique role as open to all, impartial, and truly representative.
  • Reinforce TAF’s position as the definitive voice of the UK trade association community.

Our Solution

Together with TAF, we explored how to create a brand that felt both rooted in heritage and confident about the future. Through moodboarding and creative exploration, a clear theme emerged: balancing the weight of tradition with the energy of innovation. This principle became the guiding thread for the new identity and digital platform.

Key outcomes included:

  • Moving the brand identity from ‘Trade Association Forum’ to the shorter, recognisable ‘TAF’ acronym.
  • Establishing brand pillars and a clear mission statement to articulate TAF’s unique role.
  • Designing a bold new logo, refreshed colour palette, and flexible visual system.
  • Introducing distinctive assets - including angular motifs, defined typography, and accessibility guidance, to ensure the brand is usable and inclusive.

Crucially, the rebrand was shaped with input from members and stakeholders, ensuring it resonated across TAF’s diverse community.

Alongside the identity, we replatformed TAF’s website onto Umbraco with the uSkinned site builder, giving the organisation greater flexibility, ease of use, and scalability.

To support long-term success, we delivered a comprehensive onboarding package including training, documentation, and brand guidelines, enabling TAF to manage their identity and platform with confidence.

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Results and Impact

The new brand identity and website have repositioned TAF as a confident, inclusive, and relevant voice for the UK’s trade association community. The team is now equipped with the tools and confidence to apply the identity consistently across every channel, ensuring clarity, credibility, and visibility for 175+ member organisations and the 190,000 businesses they represent.

Since launch, TAF has rolled out the refreshed brand across major events, publications, and digital campaigns. The system has proven flexible and user-friendly, enabling the small team to deliver a professional presence at pace and scale.

Seeing our clients implement their new visual identity effectively and consistently is the hallmark of a successful brand project.

Rob Helsby Creative Director, Cantarus

Future Forward

Our partnership with TAF goes well beyond delivering a brand and website. Today, we continue to collaborate on webinars, thought leadership, and member-focused events, initiatives that are helping shape the wider trade association agenda in the UK.

With a revitalised identity and a scalable digital platform, TAF is now better equipped to represent its member associations and their businesses. Together, we’re not only supporting TAF’s growth but strengthening the collective voice of UK trade associations for the long term.

Working with Cantarus has been transformational for TAF. The new brand and website have given us the confidence and tools to represent our members more effectively, and the feedback from across our community has been overwhelmingly positive. What sets Cantarus apart is that the relationship hasn’t stopped at launch - they continue to collaborate with us on events, thought leadership, and sector initiatives, helping us strengthen the collective voice of UK trade associations.

Aoife Doherty Communications and Marketing Manager, TAF

Ready to elevate your brand presence like TAF?

Our Creative Director, Rob Helsby, would love to chat with you about your branding and user experience needs. 

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