AdA Underwriters
Project Overview
The Challenge
This project required the creation of a new logo and brand identity for AdA Underwriters. They created their own logo in-house in 2023 but the quality and usability was limited; the edges of the text were broken, the colours were dated and it was difficult to use in different environments. Outside of this original logo, no other identity or tone existed for the brand. Aside from a few requirements outlined by the client, this project was very open to creative exploration and allowed for a lot of freedom when designing the new logo and brand identity.
The Solution
Through researching the client, their story and the industry, I managed to create a new logo and identity for AdA that is now being implemented across the company. Not only is the client happy to have a cleaner, more adaptable and sophisticated logo, but they especially love that their new brand mark has a story that relates to their own origins and inspirations. The most important part of this project was ensuring that the new logo and branding is adaptable for their future needs whilst also staying true to their core identity and messaging.
Understanding the brand
AdA Underwriters is an underwriter-led insurance platform with a diverse portfolio of marine & specialty business. The AdA brand is one of integrity and certainty, providing expert leadership and specialist solutions that can be relied upon by clients. To fully understand what identity they wanted to convey to their clients, I had in-depth conversations with the company's directors. Through these conversations, we established the key cornerstones of their brand, designs they liked and disliked, their industry competitors and desired deliverables. The summary of these conversations have been highlighted below.
This project allowed for a lot of creative freedom, but the client was keen to keep the gold and green colouring from their original logo as well as the capital 'A' and lowercase 'd' format. They also expressed interest in an alternate colour palette for their regional offices and multiple logos for the different names they use within the company.
Building the brand
The inspiration for the brand mark came from exploring mathematician Ada Lovelace and the client's field of work - marine insurance. Through research, I found both the Nautilus Shell and the Golden Ratio created a connection between mathematics and marine life. The Golden Ratio derives from the Fibonacci Sequence and is sometimes referred to as the Fibonacci Spiral. This spiral can be seen in most things in the natural world and was used as a starting point for abstract exploration. The client loved the symbolism behind the designs and this exploration ultimately led to this final design.
When choosing the colours, it was important to have a gold that was dark enough to be visible on white backgrounds. The depth of the gold then determined the shade of the supporting colours. This created a dark and rich palette overall, which harmonises with the formal tone of the brand.
The client requested three name variations for the logo, AdA, AdA Underwriters, and AdA Syndicate 2024. This resulted in 10 logos being created overall to meet all of the specifications.
