Rebranding a spot as storied as St John’s Faculty, Cambridge, is not any small process. Based in 1511 by Girl Margaret Beaufort, mom of Henry VII, the Faculty has lengthy been a centre of educational excellence and a magnet for a number of the brightest minds on the planet.
However with a world repute to uphold and a brand new era of stressed, critically minded college students to draw, the Faculty’s model was struggling to maintain tempo. Its current visible id and web site merely did not painting St John’s as a spot brimming with curiosity, ambition, and progressive considering.
London-based studio SomeOne was tasked with creating a brand new strategic and artistic system that will protect the Faculty’s legendary previous whereas making it extra significant, partaking, and genuine to these encountering it for the primary time. Simon Manchipp, founding associate of SomeOne, says: “The earlier work didn’t communicate to the stressed, curious, critically-minded college students of right this moment. St John’s did not want a brand new coat of paint; it wanted a brand new place.”
That new place centres round one daring however correct concept: St John’s is the house of huge concepts. It is a spot the place seismic ideas are debated over lunch, examined in labs, and formed in seminars, and the Faculty’s model wanted to obviously present that.
For SomeOne, the journey started with a rigorous analysis section involving web site visits, deep dives into the Faculty archives, and hours of dialog with college students, fellows, and workers. They walked the grounds of St John’s, documenting distinctive carvings, architectural particulars, and typographic inscriptions – proof of a residing custom.
Past the imposing heritage, what struck the staff was a way of surprising modernity woven into the Faculty. “Components of the Faculty felt modern, open, and heat in a means we did not anticipate,” says Simon. That launched a collegiate spirit we wished to seize.”
The studio additionally gained privileged entry to historic supplies not often seen past the archives, guaranteeing the brand new visible language would honour centuries of heritage whereas confidently entering into the long run.
One of the hanging features of the mission was transforming the Faculty’s crest. Loaded with centuries of symbolism, the unique crest options legendary creatures generally known as Yales, whose antelope our bodies, swivelling horns, and elephant-like tails could seem eccentric to fashionable eyes however stay an necessary anchor to the Faculty’s historical past.
As an alternative of ignoring these advanced components, SomeOne embraced them. “Heraldry is not a constraint; it is a code,” says Simon. “We selected to grasp it earlier than we altered it.” Working with illustrator Anthony Millard, the staff rigorously recut every element with out eradicating its soul. t
They targeted on clarifying it, giving it cleaner traces, stronger posture, and higher proportions for right this moment’s channels.
The staff additionally produced a number of variations of the crest, starting from detailed purposes to simplified marks that retain readability on every little thing from tutorial certificates to social media posts.
Typography performs a pivotal function in how a model speaks. For St John’s, SomeOne chosen GT Extremely, a typeface that subtly bridges calligraphic and structured types. It echoes the historic letterforms etched throughout the Faculty however conveys a contemporary confidence.
“GT Extremely’s alternate glyphs recall the court docket markings and carved signage we noticed round campus,” explains James Bell, senior designer at SomeOne. “It bridges worlds: heritage and modern, custom and innovation.”
Paired with a assured black-and-white palette, the typography brings a complicated readability that helps full-colour images and movie, permitting St John’s to really feel proudly particular person whereas additionally future-facing.
One of many mission’s most compelling improvements is the ‘Court docket Grid’, a structure system impressed by the plan of Second Court docket, one in all St John’s most iconic bodily areas. This grid unites the Faculty’s bodily structure with its digital presence, offering a versatile however recognisable framework for every little thing from printed brochures to interactive on-line experiences.
The Court docket Grid acts virtually like a stage: a versatile canvas to showcase massive concepts, present college students, and the dynamic conversations happening at St John’s. It may maintain video, images, headlines, and interactive content material, making a cohesive ecosystem that helps the Faculty’s id wherever it seems.
In an more and more digital-first world, SomeOne recognised that St John’s wanted to speak with emotional resonance, not simply visible coherence. Movement graphics and interactive components grew to become essential.
The rebrand makes use of refined however significant animation to replicate the sense of progress and transformation inherent in massive concepts. “Movement was used not as ornament, however as metaphor,” Simon explains. “Concepts in movement, minds in progress.”
This method is mirrored within the revamped web site, which shifts from dry administrative content material to a layered, story-driven platform. Drone images supplies cinematic views of the Faculty, whereas interactive menus allow present college students to rapidly entry timetables, occasions, and providers. For potential college students, the web site presents a compelling and genuine portrait of the Faculty as a spot to belong, develop, and form the long run.
For a spot that’s 500 years outdated, respect for historical past is crucial. SomeOne’s redesign ensures custom is handled not as a relic however as a residing, respiration a part of the Faculty’s ongoing story.
Simon describes this as working “with scalpels, not sledgehammers”. Slightly than stripping away particulars, they clarified and modernised them. The Yales are nonetheless there however drawn with extra confidence. The typography is recent however deeply rooted within the Faculty’s story. The grid is fashionable however echoes the areas the place college students meet, argue, and be taught.
This steadiness is essential as a result of right this moment’s audiences – raised on activism, AI and world networks – need locations that really feel each significant and progressive. As Simon says, “The world’s finest minds don’t need extra of the identical – they need a spot that is courageous sufficient to suppose otherwise.”
A hanging precept within the mission was SomeOne’s insistence on retaining the work human-made. In an period when generative AI is usually used to create lots of of design variations, St John’s id was crafted with objective and precision.
“AI is nice at going quick,” Simon displays, “however this wasn’t about velocity. It was about substance. You’ll be able to’t outsource instinct.” For a Faculty constructed on unique thought, the staff felt that authenticity mattered greater than automation. Each movement graphic, each illustration, and each typographic alternative was formed by human palms.
A recent editorial method was additionally essential. St John’s wanted a tone of voice as clever and assured as its college students. SomeOne delivered clear, adaptable layouts with a contemporary zine-like really feel, giving the Faculty’s printed supplies a brand new sense of satisfaction and collectability.
From prospectuses to analysis journals, the brand new system ensures consistency whereas celebrating the tales of present college students and workers. The intention is to assist potential college students image themselves inside the Faculty, not as passive recipients of custom however as energetic contributors to its future.
Above all, the brand new id is designed to encourage curiosity and engagement. It breaks with the usually static, conventional branding seen in greater training and as an alternative invitations participation.
As an alternative of empty photos of grand halls, the rebrand highlights folks, concepts, and the lived expertise of learning at St John’s. The Court docket Grid frames conversations and tales, whereas a daring black-and-white color system creates a way of readability and confidence.
It’s a model system made to maneuver, not sit nonetheless, reflecting how training itself ought to work in a fast-changing world.
“For those who’ve bought one thing massive in thoughts, that is the place to construct it,” says Simon.
For future generations of scholars, the brand new id sends a transparent message: you belong right here, not due to what you already know, however due to what you could possibly go on to form.
That concept that progress is constructed on recent considering, open debate, and a willingness to push boundaries feels as related right this moment because it did in 1511. Now, due to SomeOne’s meticulous, human-centred design, St John’s can confidently share that message with the world.
