Adding global value
CHOGM - the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting - reached out to us for a brand that engaged with the world, in the run-up to November 2015, when the meeting was to be held in Malta.
The Brief
More than 2 billion people, 53 independent states. The Commonwealth is no simple feat. CHOGM – the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – reached out to us for a brand that engaged with the world, in the run-up to November 2015, when the meeting was to be held in Malta.We were challenged to break down the perception that CHOGM is unappealing to a younger audience. At the same time, we were to raise awareness of the meeting’s agenda.
The Work
It was essential to create a brand that was different to previous Commonwealth meetings, while reaffirming core values and principles and showcasing Malta as a Commonwealth success story. Through a series of discovery sessions, we articulated the brand around three pivotal areas: diverse people, respect towards different cultures, and hope for the future. It soon became apparent that the four fora – the Business, Youth and People’s Fora and, for the first time, a Women’s Forum – were detached from the main CHOGM identity.
We wanted to bring them together so we created a unifying look and feel – all under one umbrella brand.With a contemporary and welcoming style, we conceived an identity that used geometric shapes embedded in Maltese culture. Built on a grid based on the Maltese Cross and the St George’s Cross, we first created the four fora logos and injected them with a dynamic explosion of colour, reflecting the interwoven and diverse cultures and traditions of Commonwealth countries.
We incorporated those four icons to create the main CHOGM logo, a combination of shapes, colours, cultures and nations, making it a brand truly representative of the Commonwealth.Repositioning CHOGM as a more engaging and fresh brand, we crafted detailed brand guidelines and designed a new CHOGM 2015 website to be accessible and informative for everyone – from delegates seeking accreditation, to members of the public. As a result, an interactive, easy-to-navigate portal for the brand was developed.
