Imperial College London identity cleverly adapted for scalability

Design studio The Click was tasked with building on Pentagram’s 2024 rebranding of Imperial College London by crafting individual identities for more than 20 of the university’s departments. The project centred around the idea of the ‘Creative I,’ with each one representing a specific faculty or department.

With the comprehensive brand architecture and sub-branding project spanning the university’s Engineering, Medicine and Natural Sciences faculties, The Click’s mission was to ensure every department felt represented.

Building on Pentagram’s brand design work from 2024, The Click evolved the identity into a flexible system that still felt true to Imperial College London’s masterbrand. Central to the project was the idea of the ‘Creative I,’ from which a suite of unique, bespoke ‘I’ motifs was crafted. Each motif reflects its department’s specific subject area, while together they create a coherent visual system.

Abby Bolt, head of brand at Imperial's Communications Division, says, “What mattered most was having something departments would genuinely want to use, not just comply with. The creative 'I's have become a connective thread, able to flex around distinct subject identities while holding everything together – every department feels seen and represented, yet still unmistakably part of Imperial.”