ONY rebrands the Future London Academy, with help from Michael Wolff, to reflect the city's architecture

Design school the Future London Academy has unveiled a redesigned visual identity by Russian agency ONY with consultancy from designer Michael Wolff, co-founder of Wolff Olins. The school offers short courses, talks and workshops with industry leaders, including Michael Wolff, and has rebranded to appear more reflective of its “future-facing” ethos.

“The old branding was very London-y, but not really Future-y,” the design team quips. The update has therefore seen the branding lose its William Morris pattern background and graduated type in place of a bold yellow as its core colour, and more modern bespoke typography. The type was inspired by the architecture of London, the team explains. “One interesting rhythmic feature… was a triangle, that appears in the architecture of the city quite often. Mostly, it is a module structure, as seen with London’s Gherkin building. Connecting geometry of the city with the plastics of the font, the triangle became the first origin of the visual decision.”

“Refraction” was also a theme ONY tapped into for the branding, again apparently referencing London’s architecture. In some still and animated visuals, a transparent prism appears overlaid on the type, refracting the text.

ONY also redesigned the school’s coat of arms, creating a “minimalist” update which maintains the original structure but strips away the traditional details.