Imperial College London is one of the world’s top-ten universities, specialising in the areas of science, engineering, medicine and business. Widely known as ‘Imperial’, it’s a multidisciplinary hub for education, research, translation and commercialisation, addressing global challenges through science and innovation.

Despite its reputation, Imperial felt it could do more to communicate the excellent work that the university does. Imperial’s visual identity was designed in the 1990s and never had a fully developed brand proposition, which led to a disjointed approach and a lack of consistent guiding principles. This in turn affected the effectiveness of its communications, marketing and fundraising work. 

To address this, Pentagram was hired to develop a cohesive brand proposition to enhance Imperial’s global presence. Imperial recognised that buy-in and active support would be essential to the success of this project; it required careful stakeholder management, supported by measurable benefits across student recruitment, communications, outreach, marketing and fundraising. 

Imperial’s new brand identity includes a new brand strategy (created by Simple Revolution), brand narrative and tone of voice (created by Pentagram’s Brand Narrative team), as well as a logo, a bespoke variable typeface, colour palette and a set of icons. The design team also produced a comprehensive set of brand guidelines, social assets, signage, merchandise and stationery.

A notable change in the new identity is the presentation of the university's name. While the full institutional name, Imperial College London, remains unchanged, 'Imperial' is now the official visual shorthand in the logo, aligning with the naming conventions of other top ten institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Stanford.

The university was aware that the term 'Imperial' can evoke certain historical associations with the British Empire. Rather than shying away from this, the university has embraced it, promoting honest and open dialogue about its history while confidently showcasing what 'Imperial' signifies today.

The bespoke wordmark lies at the heart of the new identity. Featuring a distinctive serifed letter ‘I’ that appears as a touchpoint throughout the visual identity, it appears in the new brand colour ‘Imperial Blue’ and presents Imperial as a modern, open and forward-looking institution. Used across the identity, ‘Imperial Blue’ is combined with black and white, giving a bright, clean feel and emphasisng the idea that science lies at the very heart of what Imperial does. A complimentary colour palette creates versatility and is used throughout Imperial’s marketing communications. 

Adding another element of distinction, Imperial’s new custom typeface was designed by NaN, and comprises Imperial Sans (a modern sans serif which is used as the primary typeface) and Imperial Sans Display and Imperial Slab, both of which have been developed for use on titles and headlines.

Adding a more playful element to the identity, a series of more illustrative letter ‘I’s were designed to create visual interest, contrast and structure. These are joined by a series of expressive repeat patterns, also generated using the Imperial ‘I’.

Pentagram has created a new identity for Imperial that’s confident, modern and forward thinking while still referencing its unrivalled scientific heritage. It perfectly articulates Imperial's unique offer as well as its newly defined purpose and vision, setting it apart in a competitive academic landscape.


Imperial photography by Dave Guttridge, Jo Mieszkowski and Thomas Angus