Red Stone Rebrands Explorer Scouts For A Generation Worn Out By Expectation

Creative Boom: News Branding Red Stone rebrands Explorer Scouts for a generation worn out by expectation London agency Red Stone has rebranded Explorers, the Scouts programme for 14–18-year-olds, around a blunt new line – "Grow up" – with a compass-led marque, bold supergraphics, and 40 fresh badges. Written By: Katy Cowan 26 June 2026 When Explorer Scouts launched in 2002, most families shared a single home computer (if they had one at all), and social media didn't exist yet. More than two decades on, the world's moved on, and a brand built for teenagers was starting to show its age.

So Scouts brought in London agency Red Stone to give Explorers a new identity: one that feels more relevant, inclusive, and authentic to a generation of brand-savvy digital natives who can spot a sales pitch a mile off. It lands at a moment when research suggests many teenagers feel less prepared for adult life, with teachers flagging concerns about confidence, communication, and readiness for work. So alongside the rebrand, Scouts has refreshed the Explorers programme itself – co-designed with young people – to mix practical skills with creativity, leadership, and adventure.

This isn't school At the heart of it is a deliberately un-slick line: "Grow up". The thinking? Teenagers are worn out by the constant pressure to perform at school and everywhere else, leaving little room for curiosity or growth. Rather than overpromising, the positioning frames Explorers as somewhere the journey matters as much as the destination – a place anyone can belong, but nobody has to fit the mould. A straight-talking personality, "Real curious", carries it through. It's a smart, slightly cheeky bit of reframing, and it works. The identity puts young people front and centre.

The new marque takes its cue from the compass, giving Explorers a strong visual shorthand for the whole idea of the journey, and a set of bold supergraphics spins out from it, with a subtle nod to the Explorer necker. The photography keeps things real rather than staged: the friendship, the energy, the general randomness of being part of a club. Room for the individual Consistency mattered, but Red Stone also built the brand so every unit and Explorer can make it their own. A simple logo system and templated comms let each club create its own materials that still feel on-brand, while a run of "logo expressions" loosens things up for merch.

The team also illustrated 40 badges to match the revamped programme: bold, accessible, and designed to add a pop of colour to every uniform. "Red Stone has helped set a new direction for Explorers Scouts to meet the needs of Generation Alpha, balancing real-world skills and adventure with a powerful sense of belonging," says Chris James, brand and content lead at Scouts. "The brand feels fresh, equally at home on screen and in print. It's inspired by the outdoors, shaped by young people and truly captures the fun, friendship and freedom, pointing to brighter futures." For Red Stone, the brief came down to challenging assumptions.

"Positioning Explorers as an antidote to the intense, always-on nature of life for teenagers today, we wanted to build a brand that embraced individuality, curiosity and most importantly, fun," says Rich Corr, associate creative strategy director at the agency. "From the strategy through to the graphic assets, the brand is welcoming, eclectic, and just a little bit irreverent." It all rolls out as Explorers gears up to relaunch and reach more young people across the UK. Grown up, you might say.

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The rebranding of Explorer Scouts addresses a significant cultural shift towards authenticity and personal growth, making it impactful and relevant for brand strategy professionals, while also introducing a fresh perspective on youth engagement.