ISEL - Rebranding
Strategy / Identity / Art Direction
Driven by the celebration of the 50th anniversary of its institutional name, the visual identity update of ISEL – Lisbon School of Engineering was grounded in the need to strengthen and modernise the Institute's institutional image, reinforcing its core values: excellence in practical engineering education, technological innovation, closeness in intra-community relations, and a strong connection with the market. But also in the urgency to align the Institute's reputation with the challenges and opportunities of contemporary higher education, equipping it with renewed arguments to face growing competition among educational institutions.
The new visual identity of ISEL, a comprehensive programme of institutional representation and brand communication, was designed to project the image of a modern, competent and solution-oriented school. Supported by an exhaustive brand diagnosis, the new identity extends across the various areas of ISEL's activity — from institutional communication to brand advertising, from physical presence on campus to digital environments — in a coherent yet flexible manner.
Based on the analysis carried out, a central idea was reached for ISEL, expressed in the phrase «without barriers». This idea rests on a simple premise, highly representative of the essence of applied engineering: when we have the ability to create solutions, the world has no barriers. Equally important, it also reflects the informality and collaborative spirit that characterises relations within the ISEL community. From the standpoint of strategic construction, the renewed central idea mirrors the essence of ISEL, highlighting its identity as an inclusive, collaborative institution oriented towards practical solutions. But at the same time, it projects an ambitious and inspiring vision for the future, positioning the Institute as an engineering school capable of pushing boundaries, contributing positively to society and making an impact on the world.
Mathematics as a visual principle
As a way of making tangible the new narrative created for the brand, we turned to a discipline ubiquitous in engineering projects: mathematics. As a universal, logical and rigorous language, mathematics plays a fundamental role in the field. It is a cross-cutting discipline that organises knowledge and gives shape to thought, allowing abstract concepts to be translated into concrete solutions — in essence, harmonising logic with creativity. These attributes align with the identity traits of ISEL that the new identity sought to strengthen: on one hand, the practical application of engineering education, guided by rigour and precision; on the other, the closeness within the community, reinforced by the use of a shared and therefore unifying language.
From the vast universe of mathematics, the Cartesian coordinate system — developed by the French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes — was found to be the ideal model on which to base the representation of ISEL. It is a referencing system that, from two coordinate axes, maps the physical world, alluding to theory transformed into concrete solution. Formally, the Cartesian quadrants enable the creation of precise geometric patterns and the definition of rigorous relationships between elements, in a graphic register of great plastic potential. Conceptually, the idea of the point of origin underlying the Cartesian space is the perfect metaphor for an educational institution in relation to its students, and for a solutions laboratory in the perspective of the market.
From the vast universe of mathematics, the Cartesian coordinate system — developed by the French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes — was found to be the ideal model on which to base the representation of ISEL.
Brand Architecture
Beyond being the central element of the visual identity and a privileged instrument in communication, the Institute's logotype was also designed with the goal of creating a functional, coherent and recognisable brand architecture. The visual representation of the Institute's departments derives from the acronym ISEL. Using the «E» from the logotype, and applying a rotation on the Cartesian axes, a complementary symbol was created, allowing the names of the different departments to be fitted within it. To facilitate their distinction, a colour was assigned to each department, to be combined with ISEL's institutional colour. In essence, the aim was to create a visual system that both guarantees a sub-identity for each department and safeguards a cohesive visual universe.
Communicating the educational offering
The promotion of the educational offering is a key milestone in the calendar of higher education institutions. In the year the ISEL identity was launched, the campaign for the Institute's postgraduate programmes and master's degrees was designed to consolidate the new narrative — both visual and verbal — of the brand. Built around a set of puzzles that appeals to the problem-solving spirit of engineers, the campaign presents ISEL as the solution for a future in engineering, reinforcing the Institute's positioning in the market.
Communicating the day-to-day
A visual identity gains meaning when it lives in the day-to-day of those who use it. In the case of higher education institutions, that day-to-day is particularly demanding: dozens of departments, courses, events, student recruitment campaigns and internal communications happening simultaneously, each with very different needs. The brand communication support we provide responds to this reality. We work on the application of the identity system across the Institute's various formats and channels, ensuring that visual coherence and strategic narrative are maintained — whether it is a poster for a conference, a social media post, a Christmas campaign or the creation of an identity for a podcast. Because a strong brand is built as much in the moment of its creation as in the way it is cared for over time.
