Image Credit : Design by Phoenix Wharf
Project Overview
Bristol-based design agency Phoenix Wharf has volunteered some of its creative expertise to help inspirational ‘Do Something for Nothing’ Founder Joshua Coombes with the creation of a new book and website. The grassroots pioneer’s initiative to give haircuts to homeless people has helped spark a wider, socially conscious movement, focusing on how we can all play a part in positively affecting the lives of those around us. Musician Nick Cave called the initiative ‘A simple, big-hearted and world-shaking idea’.
Phoenix Wharf gifted professional design time and expertise to help with this initiative, especially as author profits from the new book are going to fund future not-for-profit art projects, which will give voice to the lives of the people Joshua meets.
#dosomethingfornothing encourages people to connect their skills and time with those who need them; a mission that also caught the attention of media outlets first in Europe and then worldwide. Coverage has now included National Geographic’s ‘The Story of Us’ on Netflix with Morgan Freeman, for example.
Contact between Phoenix Wharf and Joshua Coombes began in 2016 when Istoria Group (Phoenix Wharf’s parent company) Founder Claire Menzies first spotted Joshua’s initiative on Instagram @dosomethingfornothing and got in touch. Istoria Group already supports local Bristol homeless charity The Julian Trust and is passionate about the cause, so when the book project started, Claire put Joshua in touch with Phoenix Wharf’s Chris Gwyther, whose company mission statement, ‘Substance with Soul’ made it a perfect fit for creative involvement beyond the purely commercial.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Chris Gwyther, Founder & Creative Director, Phoenix Wharf
Tim Gautrey, 2D Designer, Istoria Group
Project Brief
Phoenix Wharf started helping with the design, artwork, layout concepts and templates for Joshua’s forthcoming ‘Do Something for Nothing’ book, which covers the birth and development of the movement and was published in the US on May 18th 2021, in the UK and Europe on May 27th and Australia/New Zealand on June 1st.
The brief was straightforward - to design a book that takes readers on a geographical and emotional journey into the lives of humans experiencing homelessness in different cities across the globe, exploring themes of love, acceptance, shame and perseverance and inviting us to see ourselves in one another and dissolve the negative stigmas surrounding homelessness.
Following on from the creative direction for the book, Joshua Coombes asked if Phoenix Wharf might also help with the design of a website to provide further information for readers. The website launched, just ahead of the book publication, at www.dosomethingfornothing.org
Project Innovation/Need
#dosomethingfornothing – The Background Story:
In 2015, while working at a London hair salon, Exeter-born hairstylist Joshua Coombes took to the streets with his scissors to build relationships with and offer haircuts to men and women experiencing homelessness in the capital. He began posting transformative images on social media to amplify the voices of those he met. The stories that accompanied these photos resonated, and others began to get involved in their own way.
The biggest innovation is that #dosomethingfornothing humanises the issue of homelessness globally.
The team at Phoenix Wharf created a bespoke, theme-based platform for the website which is simple to maintain. The design is photography-led, making use of Joshua’s bespoke, handwritten typeface and illustration details that tie in with Do Something for Nothing’s current design aesthetic.
Whilst the last year has been tough for everyone, including an SME design business such as ourselves, there’s a clear difference between us and the people Joshua is giving such a lift to and for whom life is continually tough, virus or no virus. Helping in a small way with the creative work on the book and website was an absolute pleasure for us all.
Design Challenge
Creating the design of the book and website was a pleasure for Phoenix Wharf and shows you don’t have to be a huge corporate offering financial support - donating time and professional expertise can be just as useful. Luckily, Joshua Coombes had a great before-and-after photographic record of his initiative and an established handwritten typography, which made our work more straightforward and a pleasure to be a part of.
There were obvious timing constraints with publication dates to adhere to, but these challenges were comfortably met with our close working relationship with Joshua Coombes and the publishers.
Future Impact
We believe the following testimonial from Joshua Coombes describes the impact our collaboration has and will continue to have:
‘Huge thanks to everyone at Phoenix Wharf for their creative efforts to help this cause’ Joshua Coombes added. ‘I'm a firm believer in using our skills to positively affect the lives of others. By helping with the book and turning the idea of a website for Do Something For Nothing into a reality, that's certainly what Phoenix Wharf has done. They embodied this spirit from our first conversation and couldn't have been more accommodating. I'm incredibly grateful to everyone involved and very happy with the result. I know the website will provide a strong hub for this message moving forward.’
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