Leading Ideas offer training and consultancy in creativity, and their client list boasts leading broadcasters BBC and Channel 4, notable charities and forward thinking educators. They were looking for a new brand identity which reflects their honest personality and passion for being curious and developing great ideas.
The brief was to create a fresh, stylish and clear look and feel which would enable them to reach new clients effectively and confidently get back in touch with former clients, by reinforcing the wealth of unique experience of the team. They wanted to be able to display their brand positively alongside their peers in the marketplace, and know that it would reveal a personality that is unique to Leading Ideas.
After developing a number of concepts we moved forward with an identity which is type-led – the wordmark is set in an elegant serif with a confident full stop. The circle element from the full stop was then used as a device which could playfully pop up across layouts, hinting at the emergence of new ideas and the bright sparks of insight that can appear during one of their creative sessions.
The colour palette features a vivid tomato red and rich navy, contrasting with a soft cream. A palette which felt personal to founders Alex and Linda, it also allows the brand to feel quite different to its competitors in the marketplace.
We also developed an alphabet set reminiscent of typewriter keys, which the team could use to punctuate key learnings in presentations and training guides. This helped differentiate them from other competitors in the field and the over use of iconography. The set felt timeless and tactile, and provided a sophisticated and flexible element to use across collateral.
The brand was rolled out across templates used to the structure the team’s creative sessions, which were editable by the team to ensure flexibility for each client they work with, a printed brochure, keynote presentation and social media graphics.
We are two design novices, and, when we approached Lindsay with our vague and hopeful brief, we weren't sure it would be possible to marry our diverse, unstructured ambitions to create a concrete identity. Lindsay was brilliant at interpreting our needs and offering options and guidance on design. As we worked with her we became more confident in articulating what we wanted and she was quick to accommodate any requests we made. We were delighted with the artwork she created and now love our new branding, which feels so 'us' that we use it with real confidence and joy. Lindsay is wonderful to work with: patient and empathetic but also energetic and reactive in creative conversations. Fundamentally ... she's just a great designer!
Alex Dalton, Leading Ideas