Ordnance Survey
A warm-hearted new direction for an iconic British brand
Ordnance Survey is an iconic British brand with more than a hundred years’ heritage. We’re fans at Lark — there’s a collection of OS Explorer maps, complete with rainproof cover and integrated compass, in the studio library. So this project, for the OS Learning and Development team, was a proper treat. Faced with rolling out a new company-wide programme, the department wanted to build on the existing OS brand to create something that would engage employees and show off their values and culture.
Thinking
The brand’s existing Learning and Development materials were well designed, clear, and consistent. But for internal audiences, they felt a bit cold. There was nothing to distinguish them from external messaging, which meant they sometimes went unnoticed by staff. And the department wanted to do more to convey their purpose, services, and values — and ultimately, appeal to people at OS.
Outcome
We introduced bespoke patterns, illustrations, and icons to create an ownable extension to the OS brand. It’s all about people, with warm touches that embody the values of Learning and Development and appeal to staff. And just as importantly, it’s still recognisably OS.
Services
Branding
Art direction
Print
PowerPoint templates
Guidelines
Supergraphics
Collaborators
Illustration: Nicola Robson
Animation: James Robertson
We worked with all the core components of the brand, including the colour palette and typography. OS Gill has been used on Ordnance Survey maps for almost 100 years — so it obviously wasn’t going anywhere. For Learning and Development, we used two weights: Regular and Light.
To give the department something they could own, we created bespoke patterns inspired by OS map keys. Contour lines, forests, marsh lands, and loose rocks became distinctive new assets that can be used at multiple scales and in a range of bright, poppy colours.
These new patterns add interest to a whole range of applications. Where previously the department might have used a plain sweep of colour, we can now introduce subtle branding — everywhere from mugs and tote bags to web banners and backgrounds.
The patterns show up in our bespoke illustrations, too. We commissioned illustrator Nicola Robson to create a series all about people, and worked closely with the Learning and Development team to decide how best to represent their services. Some illustrations use apt outdoorsy metaphors to reflect the development journey, showing people climbing, searching, and exploring. Others show them working, talking, and learning. And they’re all full of heart and character.
We rounded out the department’s ownable assets with a new set of icons. These fit neatly into the existing icon suite of the wider OS brand, but reflect specific Learning and Development concepts that will help the team to better communicate their services.
To point the team in the right direction, we compiled a set of guidelines and designed mentoring guides, documents, presentations and templates. And the brand extension has already been a hit. So much so that the HR department asked us for illustrations promoting their sustainability initiatives, too.
“We initially reached out to Lark for support with an internal Learning & Development brand identity. What they have achieved is above and beyond our initial brief. They incorporated our company brand guidelines and delivered eye catching illustrations, simple icons, easy to read tools and recourses as well as considered what people know OS for – maps and the outdoors – and with this, taken map icons to create bespoke patterns we can use for banners or backgrounds on documents. We love what has been delivered and wouldn’t hesitate to work with Lark again in future!”
Emma Hopkins
Learning Specialist, Ordnance Survey
