After 12 years, D102 has launched a refreshed brand identity and website. While the visible changes are clear, we know the real value of any rebrand goes beyond the surface.
As a digital-first creative agency for government, we spend a lot of time helping clients evolve their brands to meet changing audience expectations, channels and behaviours. Going through the process ourselves has reinforced an important truth:
“A successful brand identity isn't about looking different. It's about becoming more effective.”
Our brand refresh gave us the opportunity to apply the same principles we use with our clients, from understanding audiences and defining a clear purpose to creating an identity that works across channels.
1. Start where your audience is
Too often, digital is treated as an adaptation of the brand, rather than the main environment it’s designed for. But your audience is unlikely to meet your brand for the first time on a piece of stationery. They’re more likely to encounter it on a phone, a website, or a social media feed.
That’s why digital-first design matters.
When we refreshed our own brand, we considered how every element would work across channels, social content, motion and web experience from the outset. The lesson from this is simple: design for where your audiences are most likely to encounter you.
“Today, brand consistency is no longer measured by how a logo appears on stationery. It's measured by how effectively your identity performs across a growing ecosystem of digital touchpoints.”
A brand that is designed to flex, scale and adapt from the outset will be far more resilient as communications channels continue to evolve.
2. Get clear on who you are
A new visual identity needs something solid to stand on.
Before we started refreshing the visual elements of our brand, we took time to understand where we are now and where we want to go next.
Over the past decade, D102 has evolved significantly. Our capabilities have expanded, our services have matured, and the world of public sector communications has changed around us.
The agency we are today isn't the same as the agency we were twelve years ago. That meant our refresh couldn't start with a question about what we wanted to look like. We first needed to ask who we are.
We began with research and insight, using what we learned to define our purpose, vision and the personality we want people to recognise in us. This gave us a clear starting point for everything that followed.
Our advice: before you decide how your brand should look, get clear on what it needs to say about who you are.
3. Colour is strategic, not just creative
Colour is often one of the most emotive and memorable parts of a brand. But the strategic considerations behind colour choice are just as important as the creative ones.
As part of our refresh, we introduced a more accessible colour palette designed to perform consistently across digital and print environments. We also selected a primary colour - Canary yellow - that reflected our personality while remaining appropriate for a government-facing organisation.
For organisations undertaking a rebrand, colour decisions should answer three questions:
- Have you considered accessibility requirements?
- Is it designed for consistency across channels?
- Does it reinforce your brand personality and values?
The strongest colour strategies balance distinctiveness with practicality.
4. Don’t overlook the power of typography
Typography is often underappreciated during rebranding exercises, yet it can shape how an organisation feels as much as any logo or image.
Our move to the ‘Inter’ typeface was driven by accessibility, usability and personality. Available across platforms and devices, it provides a consistent experience while introducing a more approachable, contemporary tone.
The wider lesson for clients is that typography should work hard. A well-chosen typeface can improve readability and accessibility, strengthen brand recognition, and create stronger consistency across channels.
5. Think in systems, not just logos
One of the most valuable lessons from our own refresh was the importance of developing a flexible and cohesive design system, rather than focusing exclusively on a logo.
For us, this emerged through the evolution of our ‘graphic D’. What began as a shorthand reference for ‘D102’ became a versatile visual device that can frame content, highlight information and create distinctive layouts across different formats.
This approach is increasingly important for organisations managing large volumes of content across multiple channels.
A great question to ask is: what visual tools for our brand exist beyond the logo?
A strong brand system provides designers and communicators with flexible building blocks that can evolve over time while maintaining consistency. This creates greater efficiency and stronger recognition across campaigns, platforms and audiences.
What's next? Looking beyond visual identity
One of the biggest misconceptions about branding is that it ends when the visual identity launches. But visual identity is only one part of a broader brand ecosystem.
Alongside our new look, we've been defining our tone of voice and reviewing our content to ensure that how we communicate aligns with how we present ourselves visually.
For clients embarking on a similar journey, it’s important to remember that a brand is not just what people see - it's everything they experience.
The most effective rebrands bring together strategy, personality, language and design into a coherent whole that helps an organisation communicate with more clarity and more confidence.
While every organisation's branding journey is different, certain principles remain consistent:
- put audiences first
- get clear on who you are
- design for real-world use
- prioritise accessibility
- build flexible systems
We’ve created dozens of brand identities for organisations across government and beyond. To see some of our brand case studies, visit d102.co.uk.
If you’re considering a new visual identity, we can help. Get in touch with our team at hello@design102.co.uk to find out more.
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