Another day, another legacy brand rolling out a striking refresh. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has just unveiled a new rebrand to bring the institution into the digital age, the first in over 25 years. RIBA developed the sleek and chic new brand system in collaboration with the London branding agency Johnson Banks.
“Rebranding an esteemed organization such as RIBA has to be done with great care— ensuring it remains relevant and resonant in a changing world, while also acknowledging and respecting its history,” Johnson Banks’ creative director and founder, Michael Johnson, said in a statement. The creative team honored creative throughlines such as its “famous red” and the historic crest. “But RIBA needed a more modern brand, and clearer voice,” said Johnson. “That’s expressed in its new narrative and a bold new logotype that puts the RIBA name front and centre.”
After extensive consultation with Johnson Banks, RIBA has implemented the redesigned visual identity across the institution’s various touch points. The system includes a new logo and color scheme, along with a reimagining of how they message their mission: “to advance architecture for all, by building the world’s greatest community of architects.”
As a membership-based professional and cultural organization, the new brand needed to communicate relevance and a future-focused outlook. RIBA president, Chris Williamson, said, “The rebrand will be more than just a new look; it will be a powerful statement of our intent as an outward-looking, purposeful cultural institute. RIBA must remain relevant and essential to architects and practices across the globe, grow its membership among those early in their careers, and advocate on behalf of its members.”
The system is punchy and vibrant, yet sophisticated and classic, harnessing a bright primary color palette and a knock-out style word mark that expertly plays with negative space. We’re particularly taken by the implementation of the wood mark on the RIBA tote bag, balanced by a minimalist U-shape pocket.
RIBA’s 200th birthday is around the corner (in 2034), which provided the impetus for the rebrand’s timing. “It’s vital that we modernize and adapt to the ever-evolving digital world and be fit for the 21st century,” said RIBA’s board chair, Jack Pringle. “The upcoming rebrand is bold, creative and in-step with the digital world, marking a significant step forward for RIBA and our wider House of Architecture program.”
As part of the launch of RIBA.org, the organization also made a milestone investment in its House of Architecture program. This took the form of an upgrade to its digital infrastructure, unlocking its world-class Collection, and sensitively refurbishing its historic headquarters.
“We’ve admired RIBA, from afar, for decades,” said Johnson. “This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on a world-famous organization’s strengths, whilst modernizing its verbal and visual brand as it gears up for its bicentenary.”
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