Echo is evolving.
It’s been nearly 10 years since we launched Echo! In that time, the world has changed, and Echo has changed, too.
We’ve moved from being a small, localised time bank, to a global community rooted in our local Hubs in East and West London.
As well as being a place to trade skills and talents an hour for an hour, we now offer programmes, events and lots more to our members across London and beyond.
So, we decided it was time to make some changes to better express who we are, what we do, and the change we want to see in the world!
A new brand identity
We believe it’s time for an economy that looks beyond just money, and fosters the exchange of real value that helps communities thrive - the sharing of skills, advice, relationships, networks and goodwill.
Our new brand builds on the core Echo concept of time as currency, and our signature sand timer has evolved into a clock face, representing time, inclusion and the diverse spectrum of skills that Echo members bring to the table. It’s been a pleasure working with Pentagram on the new visual identity and brand strategy for Echo.
A new website
We’ve redesigned our website to update the Echo story and vision, and make it easier to discover everything Echo offers, including our workshops, events and programmes. Big thanks to the brilliant team at Driftime Media for creating this with us!
A new member platform
Based on your feedback, we have built a new Echo member platform to make it easy and enjoyable to connect with other members and share skills and support.
We’ve added improvements including real-time messaging and a better mobile experience. We’ve also stripped out some little-used functionality from our previous platform to make the Echo experience more simple and streamlined.
You can read more about this and how it works here, and sign up to claim your account on the new platform.
We’re a small team, working with an amazing array of collaborators and Echo members to keep the Echo community thriving. We want to express our gratitude to all of our members, partners and funders over the past 10 years who have made Echo what it is today.
We know there’s lots that we can still do better, and we always welcome your feedback and ideas to help us improve - you can get in touch any time via hello@economyofhours.com or via our new helpdesk 10am - 4pm on weekdays.
Welcome to Echo!
Stuart, Tom, Sara, Veronica & Sarah
For this month’s member story, we interviewed Christine Preisig, a freelance journalist and videographer..