Moxie

2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the Institute of Directors (IoD) as an independent organisation at the heart of the governance community in Aotearoa New Zealand. Approaching this milestone provided an opportunity to modernise its brand and identity to reflect its current reality and future direction.

The Institute of Directors (IoD) is the pre-eminent professional body for directors in New Zealand. They approached Moxie to design and develop a new visual identity, building on existing brand research that the organisation had commissioned. The requirement was to create a logo that would be more in keeping with the brand positioning and contribute to the development of the brand story and architecture, tone of voice and the initial elements of the visual identity.

The key to this was helping IoD think about how they should approach their new identity. We worked through several different design territories. It was important to retain the essence of IoD’s rich heritage and position the organisation as a modern, diverse and relevant one that sets the standards for Directors in New Zealand. The new identity needed to appeal to today’s professional director and IoD’s other stakeholders, including sponsors, business partners, and the broader governance community in an authentic way.

The logo that was selected creates a layered story. The inner white detailing shows a ‘D’ connecting with an ‘i’. The white detailing subtly reflects a koru motif, with the circle representing the central point of a fern frond, conveying the concept of growth. The underline speaks of ‘best in class’ and communicates that the Institute of Directors is a foundation of sustainable growth and shared prosperity.

Institute of Directors in New Zealand

Shifting perception