Fondation Pour Le Logement Des Défavorisés (Ex-fondation Abbé Pierre) Opens a New Page in Its History With an Identity Designed by Lonsdale

New name, new identity, new chapter, but still in the service of the same fight against poor housing: Fondation pour le Logement des Défavorisés (Foundation for the Housing for the Disadvantaged) has launched a new name and identity created by branding and design agency Lonsdale.

Formerly known as Fondation Abbé Pierre, the name change and rebrand follows reports that emerged in July 2024 that deceased founder Abbé Pierre abused multiple girls and women over decades. The priest, who died in 2007 aged 94, used to regularly appear in polls as one of the most popular French people of modern times because of his tireless work for the poor and homeless.

The new identity aims to mark a fresh chapter for the French charity, focusing on its continued effort to provide vulnerable people with a dignified life. The foundation, which dates back to 1992, campaigns for affordable housing and against housing shortages in France. Rooted in decades of activism and providing direct support to vulnerable people, today the charity funds almost 900 housing projects a year and advises over 12,500 households across the country.

Remaining identifiable after change
The public-interest status of the Fondation (fondation reconnue d’utilité publique) made it legally impossible to fully rebrand overnight, as it comes with strict legal and administrative constraints, including a formal request submitted to the Ministry of the Interior and validation by the Conseil d’Etat – a complex process that can take up to two years.

Given the urgency of the reputational crisis and drop in donations, the Fondation took the only viable path: an immediate “soft” name change, to restore public trust, reverting to its original registered name (Fondation Abbé Pierre pour le Logements des Défavorisés) and simply removing the mention of the founder.

With the new identity, Lonsdale aims to help the Fondation re-establish its position as an activist organisation making a positive impact. Inspired by the spirit of protest from which the organisation was born, an “indignation point” has been introduced.

A street art-inspired brushstroke uses the silhouette of a house as its point, a reminder of the charity’s heritage of outrage against social injustices. The stylised house, which appeared in the old identity, now has an open doorway, reflecting the Fondation’s commitment to transparency and to providing shelter for all. The brand system is articulated around the indignation point symbol. It is designed to be impactful and easily recognizable on its own, working independently of the full logo on brand communications.

The brand colours remain consistent with the old identity: stark white and black accented with orange, representing protest and the common colour of French house bricks. A custom typeface, Fondation Logement, created by designer Christophe Badani was adopted for the logo. The sans serif condensed version was chosen for its impact and readability.

The new strapline, “Un combat en héritage”, translates to: “the legacy of a fight”, reminding people that finding solutions to poor housing is part of the charity’s DNA. It also aims to mobilise the public to join the fight against homelessness.

The charity’s previous identity had also been created by Lonsdale in 2016.

A new creation inspired by the fight against poor housing
Alessandro Bolchi, Creative Director, Lonsdale, says: “The Fondation’s fight today echoes the call of the winter of ‘54, which put a spotlight on social misery and poor housing in France. This fight is more relevant than ever. With an activist design, focused around an indignation point, the new identity of Fondation pour le Logement des Défavorisés was designed to reflect this spirit of insurrection, this courage and this determination to act, which are its cardinal values.”

Christophe Robert, Managing Director, Fondation pour le Logement des Défavorisés : “With this new identity, we are opening a new chapter, full of hope, marked by combativeness and fraternity. The decision to change our name was difficult, but we had to do it out of respect for the victims, our teams and the poorly housed people who rely on our support. This new identity, created by Lonsdale, is an important step in our history, necessary to maintain our capacity for action, guarantee our independence and finance our actions. While the year 2024 has been marked by many renunciations in terms of housing policy and 350,000 people are homeless in France (twice as many as in 2012), we must continue to fight our battle with determination and commitment.”