PROTOTYPING A MULTIMODAL BRAND IDENTITY

POLIMI GSoM

A Red Dot Winner comprehensive rebranding, using design thinking methodologies to align the school’s identity with its purpose, ambition, and vision

Strategy: UX Research, Journeys, and Mapping. Use Cases, Jobs-To-Be-Done. Information Architecture.
Ideation: Design Sprint. Prototyping.
Creativity: Visual Identity. Design Systems. Product Design.
Delivery: Verbal and Visual Identity. Brand Experiences. User Research. Information Architecture. Website.

Client: Polytechnic University, Milan, IT.
Website: www.gsom.polimi.it/en/
Agency: Interbrand Milan.
My role: Creative Co-Director + User Experience Director (UX) + Product Design Director.

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Design thinking, sprints, and prototyping loops to create the verbal and visual brand identity system, including its digital components.

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POLIMI Graduate School of Management is the Business School of the Politecnico di Milano University. Founded over 40 years ago, the school enjoys a proud heritage of academic excellence and the highest quality technical and analytical management training.
 
Following a new strategic plan, the school wanted to align the brand and all the experiences with its new purpose of shaping better futures for all.
 
Competitors and benchmark research, workshops, and listening to internal and external audiences to uncover expected perceptions, desires, and needs within higher education. We explored insights and human truths by activating a worldwide community of prospects, students, and alumni.
 
The old name “MIP” didn’t represent who they are today. We assessed an architectural and naming analysis to select options. We found that leveraging its connection to the Politecnico di Milano was relevant while asserting its independence as a Business School.
 
We also outlined the design brief: a brand that reflected the school’s human-centred ambition, vision, and thinking.

The logotype is a flexible item with a circle representing the school as a central hub. The condensed typography stands out and is rooted in the editorial world.

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The colour palette allowed the semantic expression of the school: blue as the Politecnico’s heritage, enriched by warm green to reflect caring for the environment we live in, brick red echoing the architectural details of the new Navigli Campus, plus a surprising dusty pink adding a twist of warmth.

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With the vision of a holistic brand, we also created a new, exciting digital experience. A well-considered information architecture defined the customer-oriented navigation system. 

By prototyping user flows and pages, the new brand identity evolved into a design system of foundational components that will ensure consistent cross-device branded experiences.

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Throughout design sprints and prototyping loops, we designed and built the brand identity system, including the digital components. Exploring and testing assets’ responsiveness beyond print and digital helped to align stakeholders and de-risk decisions.
 
When creating the new visual and verbal identity, we wanted to ensure that it reflected the vibrancy of the school and its innovative approach.
 
The logotype is a flexible item with a circle representing the school as a central hub. The condensed typography, with its practical, functional look that stands out, is rooted in the editorial world and pays homage to the content they create and share daily.
 
The colour palette allowed the semantic expression of the school: blue as the Politecnico’s heritage, enriched by warm green to reflect caring for the environment we live in, brick red echoing the architectural details of the new Navigli Campus, plus a surprising dusty pink adding a twist of warmth.
 
With the vision of a holistic brand, we also created a new, exciting digital space for the POLIMI website. It began with a deeply considered information architecture that defines a clear sitemap for a customer-oriented navigation system. Then, prototyping user flows and pages, the new brand identity evolved into a design system of foundational components that will ensure consistent cross-device branded experiences.
 
The new brand will help POLIMI strengthen its position as one of the foremost engineering management schools, reaching new targets and growth and impacting business, future leaders, and the world.

Information Architecture (IA)

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Sitemap

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Design System: Foundations

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Design System: Components

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Designing for a single device or input type is no longer enough. Technology has expanded customer journeys, channels, touchpoints, and branded experiences.

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"This represents a very important development for our School, part of the great journey of change that began in 2020, when we redefined our purpose and core values and launched a new strategic plan.
Working with Interbrand has been an amazing journey, a path of listening, analysis and co-creation that involved hundreds of students, alumni, prospects, and corporate and institutional #partners. I am glad I had the chance to be part of this journey, and I am extremely proud of the work we have done together as a team.”

Sergio Oliveri, Chief Communication Officer at POLIMI Graduate School of Management

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ALESSANDRO PASCOLI

Strategic Design 
Brands
Experiences
Digital Products 
Service Design 

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