One of our longest-standing client of over ten years, Aalto University Executive Education offers top-tier executive education and leadership development for individuals and organizations worldwide. Aalto EE needed to freshen up their brand identity to meet the same standards they operate on – as one of the most prestigious executive education providers in the world.
At first, we studied the past. The former main building of Helsinki’s School of Business is culturally iconic. Designed in 1950 by architects Woldemar Baeckman and Hugo Harmia, it became a haven of learning for business school students, of which many are the leaders and executives we know today. The architectural patterns of the building are unique and especially memorable for those who have wandered the hallways in the past 70 years.
We wanted to create a brand identity that would capture the high level of prestigiousness with a towards-leaning, modern touch. But we also wanted the identity to retain something familiar and nostalgic, respecting the valued heritage of the culturally historic building loved by so many.
As a solution, we brought the architecturally unique patterns at the core of the visual identity, creating a brand identity experience that reaches beyond the usual virtual and physical touchpoints, all the way to the architectural experience. We chose new brand colors to complement the identity and typography that walks hand in hand with the patterns.
