Background

The Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP), is one of the first schools of public policy focused on design and management of institutions and rules that govern society. It aims to train aspiring public policy managers, practitioners and administrators in order to promote policy thinking. ISPP approached us to design their identity and logo in order to stand out as an attractive academic proposition.

Strategy

Most preeminent public policy colleges are parts of universities and imbibe the identity of their parent university. However, since ISPP was an independent institution focused on policy, we saw the opportunity to elevate Policy itself as the central theme. What it is, what ends it serves, what it is like.

We envisioned ISPP as a flagbearer for policy. Making policy central to governance; to champion and foster a culture of policy led governance. We looked at ISPP as a training ground for students to become ambassadors for policy thinking with the necessary skill set to be work ready.

The mandate we created for ISPP considers policy as an open ended endeavour, focused on solving a problem while manoeuvring through a myriad of unpredictable factors and unforeseen circumstances. It requires a boldness and belief in vision and since ISPP is the personification of Policy, these were the characteristics we opted to bring out.
Design The casting of the logo with the letters PP, standing for Public Policy, rather than ISPP, as would be expected, instantly signals its mission in public life: owning public policy and driving its agenda.

The design aims to bring out the character of policy while enhancing ISPP’s appeal. Policymakers seek to find order in chaos in a discordant landscape. The PP symbol appears to be three dimensional and linear at once, showing policy as the dynamic, deeply interconnected tangle that it is. It modernizes policy’s traditional bureaucratic imagery; shifting it from the world of powerful, old institutions to a stimulating, challenging place for problem solvers.

The white and black palette speaks for ISPP’s conviction and a sense of radicalism. Blue and grey add depth and stability, and imparts a unique and fresh look to the institution. Finally, the new identity affirms ISPP’s position as a policy only play, differentiating it instantly from its more traditional predecessors.