Sometimes a branding project is about giving an existing business a fresh look. Other times, it’s about creating an identity from scratch for something completely new.
That was the case when we were contacted by the Immunocompatibility Group at the University of Liverpool.
The group, led by Professor Neill Liptrott, carries out research looking at how advanced materials and complex medicines interact with the immune system, supporting the development and translation of new therapies.
They came to us to help create branding for a new research project, giving it its own identity while still making sure it connected back to the wider work of the group.
And that’s where things got interesting.
Turning research into a visual identity
When you’re working with scientific research, there’s obviously a lot of information behind what you’re doing.
The challenge for us was taking something quite complex and turning it into a visual identity that was clear, recognisable and easy to use.
We didn’t want to overcomplicate things.
The branding needed to work across different materials and give the project something it could build on as the research developed.
That meant thinking about more than just creating a logo that looked good. We needed to consider where it would be used, how it would look alongside other University branding and how it could be recognised as the project grew.
Starting with the ideas
As with any branding project, we started by getting to know what the research was about and what the identity needed to represent.
We explored different ideas and directions, looking at how we could bring together the scientific side of the project with something that was visually interesting and memorable.
For us, that’s one of the best parts of branding work.
You can start with a conversation about an idea, a project or a piece of research, and from there you begin to build something visual that gives it a personality of its own.
Creating something that can be used
A logo needs to work wherever you put it.
It might appear on a presentation, research document, website, social media post or printed material, so it needs to be flexible enough to work across all of them.
That was particularly important with this project.
We wanted to create an identity that could be used consistently across the different ways the research would be communicated, while still feeling like it belonged to the Immunocompatibility Group and the University of Liverpool.
It’s those practical details that are easy to overlook when you’re focused on the design itself, but they’re a big part of what makes a brand identity useful.
Working With The Immunocompatibility Group
We really enjoyed working on this project because it gave us the opportunity to step into a world that’s very different from the businesses and organisations we usually work with.
The science behind the research is highly specialised, but our job wasn’t to explain the science.
Our job was to listen, understand what the team wanted the identity to communicate and turn that into something visual that they could actually use.
And that’s something we love about what we do.
Whether we’re working with a school, a local business, a community organisation or a research team at a university, every project brings something different to the table.
What they had yo say
It’s always lovely when a client takes the time to share their experience, and we were really pleased to receive this feedback from Professor Neill Liptrott:
“I had an excellent experience working with Character Creates on a set of logos for my research…”
It’s great to know that the team were happy with the experience and with the work we created for them.
A brand to build on
For us, this project was about giving the research something of its own.
A strong visual identity gives a project a recognisable face and makes it easier to build a consistent presence around the work, whether that’s online, in presentations, at events or across research materials.
We’re really pleased with how the branding came together and loved being given the opportunity to work with the Immunocompatibility Group.
It’s always rewarding to see an idea take shape, especially when you know it’s going to become part of something that will continue to develop.
Have a project that needs an identity?
Whether you’re launching a new project, developing a research programme, starting a new business or simply feel like your existing branding needs a rethink, we’d love to hear from you.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you come to us. Sometimes all you need is an idea and a conversation to get things started.
Give Character Creates a call and let’s see what we can create for you.
