A brand to build social impact
LSE was launching a ground-breaking project. Their new Marshall Institute was launched to bring together social entrepreneurs, charities, philanthropists and NGOs to study and improve impact-led private action.
But to attract the best minds, they needed a powerful, memorable, instantly-recognisable visual identity. One that would speak to diverse audiences – from students and academics to practitioners in the private sector – and sit comfortably within the overarching LSE brand.
What we did
- Visual identity
- Brand guidelines
- Social templates
- Annual report template
The ripple effect: a versatile design system
We needed to get to the heart of what the Marshall Institute stands for. So we visited them on site, running a series of interactive sessions to distil the essence of their brand.
Using those insights, generated three potential routes, each with a different approach to the same core values, so that the Institute could choose the one that felt like the perfect fit.
Our chosen solution was inspired by the ‘ripple effect’ using concentric circles as symbols of the far-reaching results that people can achieve when they decide to work together in the public realm.
A three-colour palette allowed us to create visual clarity between top-level communications and those that focused on teaching or research.
Plus, through photography that focussed on group interactions, we captured the spirit of collaboration on which social impact depends.
