Reframing More Than 137 Years of History.
London College of Music Examinations (LCME), established in 1887, is a university-owned and inclusive board for performance exams, offering qualifications and awards in music, drama, communication, and creative media.
Client
London College of Music
University of West London
Year
2024
Category
Design
Type of Work
Message framework
Brand guidelines
Visual design
Campaign strategy
Art direction
The challenge
Founded in 1887, London College of Music Examinations rapidly expanded its portfolio of examinations and established a strong reputation as a global destination for music education. However, this growth also led to increasing fragmentation in how the brand was presented.
Over the past two decades, the organisation has lacked a clear and credible brand position. Its identity has remained largely inconsistent, resulting in a wide range of visual styles across regions and departments. Many visual elements developed more than twenty years ago continue to dominate large parts of the brand, contributing to an outdated and disjointed brand image.
In recent years, the institution has made several attempts to rebrand. However, each effort has been hindered by a lack of internal consensus. As a result, these initiatives have failed to establish a cohesive or lasting identity.
My role
I led the end-to-end rebranding of the iconic brand, ensuring its legacy continues to thrive through refreshed brand positioning and a renewed visual identity.
The brand history
London College of Music Examinations is a music examination board owned by University of West London.
The institution traces its origins to 10 March 1887, when G. Augustus Holmes George—an organist, composer, and educator who styled himself professionally as G. Augustus Holmes—founded the London College of Music. His vision was to create an accessible and affordable pathway for people from all backgrounds to learn music and have their achievements formally recognised.
On 25 June 1895, the College’s education department relocated to premises at Great Marlborough Street in London. In 1991, the institution moved to Ealing and became part of the Polytechnic of West London. The polytechnic later became Thames Valley University in 1992 and was subsequently renamed the University of West London in 2011.
Read more via Respecting George
Left : The London College of Music Annual Register Book 1899
Right: The London College of Music - 47 Great Marlborough Street W1, 1973
The insight and solution
To shape the future, it was essential to first understand the past. My approach centred on research, consultation, and collaboration across stakeholders.
Through access to the archives, I uncovered rarely seen original materials and historical references. These legacy elements provided valuable insight into the institution’s heritage and informed the direction of the redesign. Throughout the process, I carefully respected and preserved these historical foundations while translating them into a modern visual identity.
A student concert programme in 1925 was founded in the library. The typography of its original “PROGRAMME” inspired the design of the new wordmark—simple, modern, and imbued with a sense of power, scale, and clarity.
The newly designed typeface is clear, modern, and timeless. Every element of the identity draws inspiration from LCME’s heritage, current developments, and its vision for the future, ensuring a cohesive and forward-looking brand system.
The monogram logo is designed to be the hardest-working logo within the branding communication system. In certain contexts, however—particularly in territories where the brand is less established—it is important to use the full name to support recognition and clarity.
To address this, I reintroduced the previously abandoned full-name wordmark and enhanced it to bring greater energy, character, and presence to the brand. The typographic design draws on a fluid open-source typeface and forms part of a flexible logo system that can adapt across different applications and audiences.
The previous coat of arms struggled in monochrome, lacking clarity at small sizes and appearing unrefined at larger scales due to limited detail and poorly defined outlines.
The redesigned monochrome coat of arms now serves as a guiding element for the overall brand expression. As the core of the identity, it embodies a modern evolution of LCME—honouring its heritage while looking confidently to the future. It was designed to remain strong, clear, and distinctive at any scale. Despite its simplicity, the design retains the craftsmanship and attention to detail that define the LCME brand.
Let's be
Fresh, modern, pop and flash
The primary colour palette builds on the legacy hues, evolving them into a joyful, modern range of tones. A vibrant blue injects energy and optimism, while complementary accents reinforce trust across the brand experience.
The colour palette builds on their signature blue, complemented by an extended palette drawn from the London College of Music archives, celebrating the breadth of their creative expression and allowing flexibility across different contexts and tones.
Using a rich colour palette helps create a vibrant and engaging brand identity, while gradients communicate progression, inclusivity, and a forward-thinking approach—aligned with LCME’s core values.
Typography is central to LCME’s visual identity. Our system pairs a clean, modern sans-serif with a more traditional, academic serif. Used across a wide range of weights, these typefaces provide the flexibility needed to reflect the institution’s diverse programming. Together, they express everything LCME presents—from classical music and jazz to hip hop, music education, and social impact initiatives.
Layouts that perform with expression
As with type, layout needs to support the diversity of programming put forth by LCME and also deliver a little musicality. A simple grid, flat colour, high-contrast text, and hyper-focus on performer imagery are the ingredients.
Brand expression
Taking inspiration from the rich heritage of the LCME brand, a new visual system was developed to reinforce the brand’s core values. It celebrates the breadth of the institution’s creative expression while providing flexibility across different contexts and tones, ensuring consistency and recognisability across a wide range of applications.
The decision to incorporate illustrations into the evolved brand identity was inspired by the challenges the brand faced in the past. Illustrations provide a unique way to communicate complex ideas and add personality into brand communications. The chosen illustration style balances tradition and modernity, reflecting LCME’s rich heritage while supporting a forward-thinking, contemporary approach.
Capture that moment
Previously, the brand rarely featured people in its visuals. After discussions, we introduced imagery of people to strengthen human connection, authenticity, storytelling, and representation. This approach also allows the brand to better showcase its expertise, confidence, and boldness, while highlighting its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
As a leader in the music examination industry, London College of Music Publications publishes music syllabuses and handbooks annually. Historically, people were rarely featured on the covers. For the newly designed editions, I recommended incorporating images of performers to inspire, motivate, and engage readers. This approach strengthens human connection, authenticity, storytelling, diversity, and emotional appeal, while reinforcing the brand’s personality and relevance.
The surrounding letters form the brand’s slogan, ‘Empowering people through performance’. Like musical notes, they are fluid and constantly changing.
