Brand identity reinvented with Pentagram – Explore Creative Summit

At the Explore Creative Summit, Johannes Grimond, Associate Partner at Pentagram, took the stage to talk about one of the most challenging aspects of design: reinventing brand identity.

For Grimond, it’s not about making something new at all costs, it’s about creating something future-facing while honoring the depth of the past. “Great brands shouldn’t just survive history—they should carry it forward,” he said.

That was the starting point for the Liberty rebrand. By 2020, the 150-year-old British fashion brand felt too polished, too classic, too safe. It no longer captured the boldness and eccentricity that once defined it. The challenge was clear: refresh its identity without losing its original spirit.
The solution lay hidden in the archives. Pentagram rediscovered hand-drawn logos, historical type experiments and even the original store sign from 1875. These historical elements became the foundation for a new logotype.

But building a strong identity goes far beyond a logo. It means designing a complete visual system, flexible, expressive and coherent. In collaboration with Brighton-based type foundry Colophon, the team developed a custom typeface that became the cornerstone of a new graphic language, capable of shifting from timeless elegance to bold experimentation. This exploration led to one of the most original outcomes of the project: the Liberty Letters, a series of typographic pattern experiments that evolved into real products.

This level of creative freedom was possible thanks to a rare kind of trust between client and studio. “They basically just said: go play. See how far you can push it”, Grimond recalled. That openness led not only to a successful rebrand, but also to new artistic collaborations and even to the launch of a sub-brand: LBTY Beauty, Liberty’s new luxury perfume line.

The takeaway? When it comes to brand identity, the past isn’t a constraint, it’s a resource. One that, in the right hands, can become a springboard for bold, modern work.

Watch the full session here: