Despite considerable progress over past decades, gender inequalities remain prevalent in the UK, shaping the lives of women and men. Evidence also suggests that socio-economic outcomes vary by local area. To date, no comprehensive measure of gender inequalities exists at local level across all four UK nations.

The Gender Equality Index UK (GEIUK) is an initiative created by the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL), part of King’s College London, renowned for its academic excellence and The UK Gender Equality Index research prowess. The first of its kind in the UK, the Index is an innovative tool for measuring, mapping and monitoring gender inequalities. It is also the first to look at the data at local authority level, rather than at a national level.

GEIUK makes use of the UK’s rich data landscape, combining existing datasets to measure outcomes. The evidence produced will support advocacy, research and policy intervention in pursuit of greater equality for all. It provides analysis of gender inequality across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, both between and within gender groups.

Pentagram was asked to create an identity for GEIUK that would inspire change and communicate with policy-makers, organisations, activists and equality advocates alike. The brand needed to be confident, optimistic, forward-looking and inviting, reaching beyond academia to help challenge the status quo.

The bigger gesture of the brand is to celebrate the power and beauty of diversity.
It has a patchwork feel that brings together different tonalities and voices within the logo. Motion is a core part of its behaviour, connecting it more clearly to the world of infographics as a powerful language. It also reflects the core purpose of the visual system: to reveal information and create a clearly structured system of information.

Colour plays a central role in the visual identity. Inspired by the graphic vernacular of indexing and classification systems, the GEIUK logo is built from vertical blocks of colour, forming a system of information. From this, an innovative, data-driven visual language was developed, reflecting GIWL’s mission to monitor gender inequalities at a granular, local authority level.

Visualising these issues is a first step towards achieving societal transformation. The brand language and digital tools extend naturally from the logo system and its motion behaviour. The colour palette humanises the data, making it more engaging and easier to understand.

The typeface chosen for the GEIUK identity, DM Mono, is a three-weight monospace family. Rooted in the world of infographics, the typeface is technical to express the accurate, factual nature of this tool, but still feels friendly and clear.

It was important for the identity to have a gender neutral approach, as the index needed to highlight the data neutrally, not pit sides against each other. The data does not only highlight women’s inequality—it also shows male inequality in parts, so it needed to visually represent the data rather than gender. The data displayed includes only male and female categories because the national census collects information solely on these groups, and there is currently no available data for other gender identities.

Pentagram’s work translates rigorous academic research into a clear, compelling and accessible public-facing identity. The flexible, data-driven visual system enables Gender Equality Index to communicate complex information with clarity and confidence. The identity supports the Index’s ambition to inform policy, empower advocacy and stimulate meaningful public debate, ensuring the findings can be understood and used by audiences well beyond academia. In doing so, Pentagram has helped position GEIUK as a robust analytical tool and a catalyst for awareness, accountability and long-term social change.