Urbanists
Brand Identity, Motion System and Website
Brand
Refresh
2026
Motion Identity
Website
Design
Bringing consistency and cohesion to The Urbanists through a connected brand, motion system and website.
We worked with The Urbanists, an award-winning consultancy specialising in planning, urban design and landscape architecture, to refresh their visual identity and build a more cohesive brand system across digital, print and motion.
Bringing together brand design, motion, website development, photography, video and a suite of practical templates, the project was about much more than refreshing how the brand looked. We wanted to build on what was already there, creating a flexible, recognisable identity that could work consistently across every touchpoint and, importantly, be used confidently by the whole team.
The Challenge
The Urbanists already had an established identity and a strong reputation, but as the business evolved, there was an opportunity to bring greater consistency to how the brand was presented across different channels and formats. From their website and social content to presentations, reports and everyday documents, the identity needed to work across a wide range of applications, often created by different people within the business. The challenge wasn't simply to make everything look better. It was to create a connected brand experience that reflected the personality and expertise of The Urbanists, while being practical enough to support the team in their day-to-day work. We also saw an opportunity to explore how motion could add a new dimension to the existing identity, creating something distinctive and recognisable without losing the brand equity they'd already built.
The Solution
Rather than starting again, we looked at how we could get more from the identity The Urbanists already had. We retained the existing logo, refined the colour palette to improve vibrancy, contrast and accessibility, introduced updated typography and developed a clearer, more flexible visual language. Motion was considered from the outset, rather than something added at the end. We developed a set of motion behaviours that gave the brand a consistent way to move, with the existing Urbanists wordmark becoming one of the most recognisable elements of the system. By rotating the logo on a 3D axis, we transformed a flat graphic into something with depth and physicality. It became more than a logo animation, acting as a flexible creative device that could reveal content, transition between scenes and create visual connections across different applications. Alongside the identity and motion system, we developed a comprehensive suite of templates for documents, presentations and social content. These were designed to make everyday content creation easier for the wider Urbanists team, while maintaining consistency across different formats and applications. We also designed and developed a new website, supported by custom photography and video content that captured the people, places and projects behind The Urbanists. Every element was considered as part of the same connected system, creating a consistent experience across digital, print and motion.
The Outcome
The result is a refreshed identity and a comprehensive brand system that gives The Urbanists a more confident, cohesive and recognisable presence across every touchpoint. The new website brings their expertise, projects and personality together in one place, while the motion system gives their digital communications a distinctive visual language. The rotating wordmark has become a versatile asset, allowing the brand to move consistently across different formats without relying on the same animation every time. Just as importantly, the system has been designed to work beyond the initial launch. With a suite of practical templates, reusable assets and clear guidelines, The Urbanists have the tools to create their own content while maintaining the consistency and quality of the wider identity. Rather than a collection of individual deliverables, we've created a connected brand experience that can continue to evolve alongside the business.
One of the most interesting parts of the project was exploring how we could unlock more potential from the existing Urbanists wordmark. We didn't want to introduce motion simply for the sake of making things move. Instead, we looked at how the logo itself could become a more useful and recognisable part of the brand system. Rotating it in three dimensions creates a sense of depth and structure, turning a flat graphic into something almost architectural. There's a tangible quality to it that feels particularly appropriate for a consultancy working across the built environment. More importantly, it gives us a versatile device that can frame imagery, reveal typography, connect content and create transitions, all while reinforcing the identity.
That same thinking carried through the wider project. We wanted every element to feel connected, from the way typography moves to how photography is presented and how the website responds. Motion follows a fluid, continuous rhythm, with staggered movement creating subtle depth, while photography and video are given room to breathe without unnecessary overlays or effects. The brand's graphic elements have clear roles, helping create a consistent visual language without making every application look identical. It's this balance between consistency and flexibility that makes the system work, giving The Urbanists a recognisable identity while leaving plenty of room for their people, projects and content to take centre stage.
Tell us about your project
Back to top