DER – Driving the electric revolution

A brand identity for a national innovation programme.

The Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centres project is part of the Driving Electric Revolution Challenge Programme which is funded by £80m from the Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) through UK Research and Innovation.
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It’s a UK-wide project to accelerate delivery of Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) solutions for global market and help propel UK manufacturing to the forefront of global efforts to tackle climate change.

Across the UK, the DER-IC partner network has world class capability in PEMD including design, manufacturing and testing facilities. The DER-IC’s role is to encourage cross sector collaboration and encourage industries to invest and collaborate with their network of excellence in academia and Research Technology Organisations.

Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce are amongst 36 UK businesses who are part of the network.

We were thrilled to be appointed to work with the DER-IC team across the UK to develop the brand identity and visual language.

EV branding Driving the Electric Revolution

A discovery session with the team informed the creative direction for the brand as well as the brand architecture. With four centres, the need to differentiate by location was an important consideration for the identity.

Using the DER acronym, the letterforms and graphic lineage give a sense of motion and energy, suggesting the collaborative qualities of the centres. A subtle gradient change within the type nods to the transformation and growth DER hopes to inspire in the sector.

PEMD is applied throughout the Transport, Energy and Industrial sectors, so bespoke iconography was created to depict each of the sectors.

 

EV branding Driving the Electric Revolution
Iconography suite
EV branding Driving the Electric Revolution

Altogether listened carefully to our ambition for DER and articulated it in a powerful visual style.

Rachel Chambers, COO

EV branding Driving the Electric Revolution

Guidelines were created to enable the many partners across the UK to implement the brand cohesively. We have been working with the team to implement the roll out including an exhibition stand for 2021 Cenex.

EV branding Driving the Electric Revolution