ICDL — digital skills for empowered futures
In the modern digital world, ICDL is a globally respected standard for digital skills that are vital for existing businesses and the rising generation.
By looking at the dynamics of ICDL’s purpose we began to understand how to redesign the branding for this organisation and formulate a visual language that conveys the overall mission of ICDL.
Bringing basic digital literacy to the world, while providing professional-grade training for some of the most complex digital tasks is ICDL’s remit.
Grass-roots computing builds a foundation that empowers and includes everyone in the new digital world. Maintaining workforces’ abilities and learning specialist skills enables multinational business and opens new opportunities of commerce, research and efficiency.
A truly international brand
With a presence in over one hundred countries ICDL needed a brand that could travel. Maintaining a strong and confident style that reassures clients of the dependable nature of ICDL.
The first issue addressed was the name ‘ICDL’ standing for: ‘International Computer Driving Licence’. By keeping the Acronym, but changing its meaning to: ‘International Certification of Digital Literacy” we maintained the recognition but brought the brand more in keeping with a professional audience.
With a great need across the world for digital skills training ICDL steps in as a not-for-profit provider of computer training to open up new possibilities for people around the globe. With operations in 148 countries and in 41 languages, it has produced 13 million graduates.
A clear vision and purpose
ICDL’s purpose can be summed up in how it effects its clients lives. It empowers.
From the simple brand statement of purpose: ‘To enable people to raise their skill set in the digital world and empower their future.’ We developed three core brand themes that could stand as the central core of all communications and brand identity. By isolating these three core themes and freeing them with ICDL as an accurate description of the organisation’s service and vision.
A design ethos that reflects the core themes
Using the brand purpose and core themes, a new brand voice was developed to communicate the empowerment that digital skills can bring. ICDL’s new branding shows a global expert network that empowers its graduates and stands as an international mark of excellence. A core design ethos was also created to tie the brand style together with the brand’s function.
Core design ethos
Reflect the confidence and bold self-promotion that come from the empowerment of an ICDL qualification.
Designs should be simple yet bold.
Headlines should be short and understandable by all.
Colours should be bright primary and secondary tones that feel vibrant and positive.
Text should be clear and direct, set in a modern sans serif typeface.
A new evolution
Maintaining a visual link to the old logo, the starting point for the redesign was the mouse pointer. This then was evolved and allowed to progress into a less literal form.
The new logo
The brand mark is set to specific relationships in order to bring a sense of order and harmony to the graphic.
The basic measurement are in units of X that is equal to the width of the strokes in the ICDL letters. The logo sits at exactly twice the width of its height, with the stapling running beneath.
Typeface
FF Mark Pro is a modern geometric Sans Serif with precise germanic styling. From the brand mark to body copy this typeface brings a uniformity to the brand.
Using a clear bold face, often in block caps brings a confidence and boldness to the brand.
The frame system
A simple and bold graphic system is used to carry a brand presence through all collateral. This system is similar to the logo’s frame and is used to frame an image or section of an image in order to provide a sense of ownership over the imagery by the ICDL brand.
This system is designed to be as flexible as possible, moving and resizing according to the needs of the image it holds.
A robust brand guideline document was developed in order to provide instruction on how the brand should be executed across all formats required.
From notebooks and course materials, to advertising, ICDL now follows a bold and confident design style that is supported by a strong colour set, with cyan leading the brand palette.
