PHD launches new global visual identity
Global media network PHD, part of Omnicom Media Group, has introduced a new mark and refreshed brand identity to reflect its philosophy ‘Make the Leap’ – a call to action for leveraging the power of imagination to drive disproportionate growth for its clients’ business.
Says Philippa Brown, worldwide CEO: “For over 30 years, PHD has put creativity, innovation, and thought leadership at the heart of the business. Creativity and the power of imagination are what fuel our industry and we believe that only by making imaginative leaps in creativity can we best help our clients flourish and, therefore, leap forward commercially. The evolution of our identity brings this idea to life, with a contemporary and dynamic mark that positions us for the future.”
Says Mark Holden, worldwide chief strategy officer: “In the modern world, advancements in data and technology have enabled marketers to improve how they target and measure their campaigns. However, while this is hugely important, at PHD, we know that every great campaign starts with a great creative idea. That’s why our new identity focuses on creativity above all else – because it’s the power of imagination that drives disproportionate growth, not just reports and spreadsheets.”
Says Mark Jarrett, CEO, PHD Australia: “I’m very excited about the new look and feel – it brings a modernity to PHD at a time when so many elements of the marketing and media space are evolving due to advancements in data & technology, accelerated by the disruption of the pandemic. PHD’s recent publication, Shift, researched these changes and the updated branding very much reflects the environment the book reveals.”
The updated brand identity, created in collaboration with independent design director, Cosmo Jameson, has been designed with digital, motion, and audio capabilities in mind and reimagined to fully embody the PHD brand ethos ‘Make the Leap’.
At the core of the new branding are visual assets that represent PHD’s values of creativity, courage, openness, collaboration and curiosity – a reflection of the fact that it’s the creativity and innovation of PHD’s talent that powers business growth.
The identity comes alive with brand imagery and film that allows the viewer to feel the brand values by showing the duality of a world reimagined from one state to another through visual lateral leaps.
Says Avril Canavan, worldwide chief marketing officer at PHD: “Our new identity is strategically designed with digital and motion in mind to reflect how we work today as well as being a symbol of our ethos. The brand mark is dynamic and flexible, capable of making a physical leap itself to trigger imagery or film and reveal a world reimagined.”
Says Cosmo Jameson, design director: “PHD has an industry-leading intelligence born from the duality of strategy and creativity. The brief was to capture the imaginative leaps and it’s the visual theme of duality, along with ‘the leap’, that drives an ownable visual language throughout the identity, defining brand imagery and film but most noticeable in the brand mark which has been recrafted as an ambigram.
“The mark has been designed to harness a sense of kinetic energy. Its rotational symmetry allows it to demonstrate its ambigram qualities in motion but in static, its form somewhat suggests it’s about to spring into action at any moment.”
The new branding is being implemented internally and externally across all of PHD’s 100+ markets.
