Case Study

Ogilvy

Shaping the future of a heritage brand.

Program: Reposition
Industry: Professional Services
Stage: Enterprise

David Ogilvy said that “change is our lifeblood.”

In a world of emerging channels, new technologies, machine intelligence, and empowered customers; the advertising industry is experiencing change at an accelerated rate. So Ogilvy, one of the most storied creative agencies in the world, invited us to help build a stronger, future-facing version of itself.

The company was already in the process of streamlining the organization as we began the task of giving logic to a new brand architecture and designing a new identity. We started with a deep appreciation of the project’s potential. And we were honored to partner with our friends to meet this challenge.

Ogilvy offices around the globe already define a powerful creative network, but additional steps were needed to align this network with the needs of the future. As the company dissolved internal obstacles and divisions, COLLINS began by clarifying internal cultural values: Creativity would no longer remain the domain of any one “creative department.” Each employee, regardless of their individual skill set, is charged with driving the company’s creativity and thinking, overall.

The visual identity system has its roots in Ogilvy’s history. The new logo, the center of the identity program, transitioned from David Ogilvy’s signature — the mark of one person — to a redrawn version of David Ogilvy’s favorite British typeface, Baskerville — thus becoming the mark of many people.

This work, done with and for our friends at Ogilvy, aspires to leave the company well-prepared to meet the opportunities of tomorrow, while still remaining connected to their remarkable past.

COLLINS: Dashiell AlisonJump JirakaweekulCamille SauveBrian OkarskiMark KingsleyTaylor HollandEmily MorrisTomas MarkeviciusGabe BenzurNick AceThomas WilderBrian Collins
Fictive Kin
MCKL Type

Augments

Augments are add-on components or properties that enhance a design system’s performance. They introduce new capabilities, expand functionality and improve how the system works across contexts.

Augments

Augments are add-on components or properties that enhance a design system’s performance. They introduce new capabilities, expand functionality and improve how the system works across contexts.

Heritage Capsule

A component augment that revitalizes dormant brand assets, preserving their character while evolving them for modern relevance. It ensures legacy elements feel timeless and distinctly current.

3P IP Adapter: Lens

Ensures third-party content aligns with the brand without visual conflict, maintaining clarity, harmony and brand integrity.

Symbolic Ligatures

Our custom ligature-rich typeface symbolizes Ogilvy’s connective role—linking the agency to its clients, clients to their audiences and one idea seamlessly to the next. Every joined letter signals continuity, collaboration and the spark that moves brands forward.

Ligature

Our choice of a ligature-rich typeface symbolizes Ogilvy’s connective role—linking the agency to its clients, clients to their audiences, and one idea seamlessly to the next. Every joined letter signals continuity, collaboration, and the spark that moves brands forward.

Endurance Function

Because a brand accrues power over time, we engineer our identity systems to be both timely and timeless. Our designs avoid fleeting trends, favoring bespoke visuals and timeless principles.

Archive Revival

Archive Revival brings a brand’s greatest hits—and hidden gems—back into circulation. It mines the past for the codes, visuals and ideas that once made the brand matter, then reissues them with new relevance and cultural sharpness. By remixing original assets into fresh expressions, the brand stays rooted while evolving, building desire through recognition and reinvention.

Horizontal Compatibility

A performance property where the brand system works painlessly with peer brands in collaborative contexts—like co-branded campaigns, licensing, retail partnerships or digital integrations.

Vertical Compatibility

A performance property that ensures the brand system maintains coherence across all organizational levels—master brand to sub-brand, service, or product. It preserves hierarchy while delivering a unified experience throughout the brand ecosystem.

Impact

Reconnected to Heritage

The new identity system modernized Ogilvy’s legacy without abandoning the timeless spirit of its founder.

Clarified Strategic Narrative

Ogilvy’s vast, often fragmented service offerings became a cohesive narrative, helping the company move with focus and confidence.

Unified Architecture

A unified brand architecture and identity helped Ogilvy present itself as a singular global creative force.

Clarified Internal Creative Mandate

Ogilvy could speak with a clear voice, defining creativity as its company-wide responsibility, not just the domain of one department.