Moving Brands is an independent global design studio creating the brands, products and experiences of tomorrow. Partnering with ambitious leaders and organisations, we deliver the world’s most impactful design.
The Cambridge logo centred in a colourful pattern of organic shapes

Cambridge University

Brand partners in a journey of transformation

The University of Cambridge is a globally renowned institution that needs little introduction. But with an increasingly complex structure, as it has expanded over the decades, it needed to make sure it was telling a clear, compelling, and future-facing story across its many divisions.

We are proud to have partnered with many of the university’s principal business units to do just that – working with each to create an authentic brand identity that brought its purpose and personality to the fore while remaining true to the parent brand.

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Identity System
  • TOV & Messaging
  • Motion Design
  • Campaign Design
  • Digital Product Design
  • Brand Assets & Guidelines

A unified identity

It all started when Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment merged to form Cambridge University Press & Assessment – a global organisation operating in 130 countries – and asked us to be their partner in this major strategic move.

The challenge was to combine two separate brands – with distinct strategies, tone of voice, and visual branding – into a system that would effectively express this unified identity.

Creating ‘One Global Cambridge’

With our strategic guidance, Cambridge also established a simplified brand architecture, placing relevant sub-brands, products and services within the Cambridge University Press & Assessment brand.

Overall, we defined a strategy of ‘One Global Cambridge’ that leveraged the force of all Cambridge organisations and their unique cultures and heritages. Underpinning this strategy is the unifying Cambridge shield, a first-of-its-kind coat of arms from 1534 but reimagined to speak to the present-day organisation’s limitless opportunities and offerings.

A grid of six different versions of the Cambridge logo, each made up of different elements like pencils or light beams.

A driving force of the merger was to create 
a cohesive brand system whilst allowing for each sub-brand within Cambridge University Press & Assessment to have unique assets. 
A fixed, flexible and free system enables the brand to present itself consistently, but with room for products and services to be tailored to suit the audience and communication.

A grid of six brand system visuals showing the Cambridge logo, photography, colours and more.
Five framed posters leaning on a wall showing different Cambridge marketing materials. The poster in the back shows the Cambridge logo and the text
A phone laying on papers with sketches showing an illustration of students and the text
An out of home photo of five billboards showing different Cambridge university marketing materials.
A tablet on a turquoise background showing a sign in screen.
A top down view of someone's desk while they're reading a book. Next to the book is a laptop with Cambridge university stickers.

Tailoring sub-brands to the audience

Over the following two and a half years, Moving Brands has worked with business units across Cambridge University Press & Assessment to build on our foundational work, working with each sub-brand to adapt and showcase their individual personality and offerings while staying true to the parent brand. Our partnership remains ongoing.

A tree diagram explaining the hierarchy of the Cambridge brands.
The Cambridge logo centred in a colourful pattern of organic shapes
A grid of visuals with a 3D visual of a stack of colourful, clay-like Cambridge university logos on the right.
Two brand applications. On the left, a person carrying a tote bag with the text
A social post with a photo of a woman walking past a bright Cambridge blue wall that shows the logo as part of the street art.
A 3D stack of colourful, shiny Cambridge university logos.
A tablet on a dark blue background that shows a Cambridge University newsletter.
A Cambridge advertisement with the title
Three Instagram stories on a dark blue background showing people smiling into the camera with a text overlay.

Cambridge English

We partnered with Cambridge English to create a distinct and compelling brand identity. Rooted in the excellence of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge English goes beyond teaching English, empowering millions worldwide to grow personally and professionally. Working closely with the Cambridge team, we embodied this powerful truth in a new brand promise, “where your world grows”. We developed a design language that brings this promise to life and designed a multiplatform campaign to inspire and engage new and existing audiences.

A dark blue pattern with the Cambridge university logo with text
A grid of the Cambridge Press brand system showing the brand pattern on the bottom left and the logo masked into a painting on the right.
A laptop on a sofa showing the Cambridge Press website.
A copy of Freud's biography on a red brand pattern next to a phone showing a Cambridge Press Instagram story.
A street with a graphic Cambridge Press poster pasted on the wall. The poster features a title for a book “Freud, an intellectual biography”

Cambridge University Press

The leading global publisher asked us to help refine their tone of voice to resonate more deeply with diverse audiences worldwide and refresh their visual identity to reflect their ethos. Our redesign artfully blends heritage with innovation, emphasising the iconic “Cambridge Blue” and pairing it with bold red to ensure the brand remains vibrant and contemporary without projecting elitism. We designed shield textures to flex according to the context and target audience, thus ensuring every communication is both unique and unmistakably “Cambridge”.

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