Back to topSelected Projects — Whole Education

For the past six months, Wire has been working closely with the country's leading education organisations to develop a new brand and communication strategy for the most important education campaign in recent history.

Wire were originally approached by the ‘Open Source Alliance’ to develop a brand for them and their campaign for ‘Education in the 21st Century’. The alliance had been formed by The Royal Society of Art, Edge, The Young Foundation, Innovation Unit, UK Youth, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, DEA, Association of School Leaders, Future Labs, Campaign for Learning and Oxfam and several others. Their big intention is to recognise and promote that education practice should develop the whole child beyond academic attainment so that they are fully equipped to reach their full potential in life.

After a period of immersion with the alliance partners, teachers, parents and pupils Wire developed ‘Whole Education’ (WE) a new phrase in education. Wire then went on to develop a set of common beliefs, brand identity and online strategy for the campaign which launched on 24th May 2010.

The natural representation for the whole is the circle and the idea that ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ led to the visual expression for the Whole Education. Individual elements reference classic building blocks in traditional learning such as geometric shapes and mathematical symbols. These are randomly overlaid, multi-coloured and continually evolve, representing the beautiful individuality and diversity of every young person.

Graphic connections are made, to demonstrate joint working and responsibility, overlaps and the essential networks required education. Together, the symbols and connections combine to form the whole — a progressive, evolving circular mass which represents that everybody sharing and joining in the agenda together . The supporting typeface ‘Sentinel' gives a respectful nod to classic values and traditions (of Clarendon). It is authoritative and practical yet fresh.

“The success (or failure) of our society in the future relies on how young people develop and learn today.”
—
Douglas Archibald