Cardiff University brand identity

The highest-ranked university in Wales, Cardiff University has been a beacon of progress for more than 100 years. Despite its standing, the university is not always viewed as a first-choice destination for top-performing students and staff. Our task was to help change that, positioning the university as an institution of choice for the very best in their fields.

We refreshed their visual identity to align with a new brand strategy, “Together in Progress,” aimed at capturing the university’s collective spirit and ambition. At the heart of the refreshed identity is a type pairing that defines its visual style. Darby’s simple serifs provide a sense of academic tradition and authority, connecting to the university’s heritage, while Marr Sans, a clean and contemporary sans-serif, lends modernity that positions the university at the forefront of discovery.

A key challenge for the university is adherence to Welsh language standards, which require organisations to either provide Welsh language versions of all materials or ensure the Welsh language is at least as prominent when both languages appear together.

To celebrate the university’s proud Welsh heritage and enhance the readability of bilingual applications, we collaborated with Commercial Type to develop a series of digraphs characteristic of the Welsh language.