Hip to be square

Ravensbourne, which is aiming for university status, has undergone a major rebrand by communications agency NB. According to staff and students, the previous identity, which featured geometric shapes inspired by the bold architecture of the building, was difficult to use and read. The new, stripped-back logo is all about simplicity and can be adapted to highlight the work of students.

The identity comprises a simple black box with the letter ‘R’ in the top-left corner and uses a bespoke typeface designed by Kostas Bartsokas. The box can be resized to become a framing device for text, image and video content.

‘We were looking at the Yales and Harvards of the world and how not to be like them,’ Nick Finney, co-founder and creative director of NB, tells LS:N Global. ‘Ravensbourne is a distinct, small, creative college in London, so it had to be different.’