Building beyond the bricks: The LEGO Group launches its first full set of design elements to evolve its brand identity

The of building and creating to life in a whole new way – consisting of cohesive design language, refreshed assets and architecture, with the famous LEGO System-in-Play at its heart.

The wider design system is being rolled out globally, across all product ranges and digital platforms, in partnership with global branding consultancy, Interbrand.

The LEGO Group has been the master of constant reinvention for more than 90 years, and remains one of the most loved brands in the world (Talkwalker). Its iconic LEGO elements have remained relevant because of the LEGO System-in-Play – the LEGO elements bought many years ago will still fit perfectly with LEGO elements bought in the future.

The LEGO Group has always been committed to making creative play accessible through its own franchises and partners like The Walt Disney Company, Lucasfilm, Warner Brothers, Epic Games and more. The LEGO Group offer the chance for discovery and invention for both children and adults where they can enjoy a range of different play experiences depending on their interests and passions, there is something for everyone.

The product’s incredible success led to a unique challenge – there was a need to build on and evolve its own brand DNA that could be easily recognised across all products and digital experiences.

The LEGO Group has seen incredible growth over the last two decades which has cemented them as one of the world’s most loved companies. The LEGO logo has always been a consistent recognisable design element but the brand needed to be able to offer a fluid and cohesive brand experience across all physical products and digital platforms.

With the LEGO Group’s strong attention to detail and focus on quality, there was the opportunity to strengthen the connection within the ecosystem that had already been created.

Over the last two years, the LEGO Group’s in-house creative and strategic agency, Our LEGO Agency (OLA), in partnership with Interbrand, has worked to bring consistency and connectivity to all of the LEGO Group’s brand experiences across its entire ecosystem. OLA and Interbrand created a set of design elements that the LEGO Group could own to evolve its existing brand identity across all physical products and in the digital world.

OLA and Interbrand dove into the company’s history to search for brand equity that could be elevated. What stood out was the care the company had put into pursuing its vision – to help children learn through play. Recognising that the company’s youngest fans are still learning to read, Interbrand and OLA researched modes of visual storytelling. They found a promising answer in the semiotics of comic books and replicated these design elements when creating the brand experience.

This included using LEGO minifigures, cells and speech bubbles, as well as Action Graphics – which provide a set of visual tools that allow one to narrate their own stories and feel a sense of emotion when playing with LEGO products.

The creative solution to evolving a brand identity
OLA and Interbrand worked across the entire brand portfolio, connecting the dots between the business; ultimately assessing 23 guidelines and over 110 separate principles. They consolidated these into five key design principles (Design for your audience, Build from its System-in-Play, Tell stories, Be playful and optimistic, and Keep it simple).

The iconic LEGO System-in-Play was placed at the heart of the work and a design system was built around it.

1.
The “clutch system” – Interbrand and OLA created a “clutch system” (named LEGO Brick Pro), enabling the process of building LEGO elements to be replicated digitally in the form of a font (or 130 glyphs). This could then be used to quickly build holding shapes, illustrations, UI buttons, and more using the same geometry as the bricks. For example, an instore big button made out of LEGO elements could be built at the same ratio to transition between physical and digital experiences.

2.
The typeface – based on the type discovered in the LEGO company archive, Interbrand and OLA (in partnership with Colophon) introduced the first dedicated LEGO brand typeface – LEGO Typewell®, which is used across all physical products and digital platforms. Inspired by the LEGO geometry of the System-in-Play, Typewell® will be deployed globally across 120 languages.

3.
Action graphics – these primary elements are supported by “Action Graphics,” which add dynamism, drama, and emotion to images using LEGO elements instead of words. Made from 58 LEGO elements.

4.
Motion principles – these are branded ways of transitioning, editing or moving design elements. OLA and Interbrand built these based on how people play with LEGO elements, including separating, dropping, and even mistakes based on how people play with the product.

Thomas Holst Sørensen, Global Head of Design at Our LEGO Agency, said: “The LEGO Group has been the master of constant reinvention for 90 years. LEGO play offers the chance for discovery and invention, where you can always create something new from something familiar. Our new brand DNA reflects what is important for the LEGO brand. It is a beautiful, simple, and well-constructed system that both unifies and breaks free the creative and playful expression of our brand and product experiences.”

Oliver Maltby, Executive Creative Director, Portfolio Lead at Interbrand, said: “The LEGO Group’s archives were a treasure trove of elements that contributed to crafting the final solution – a mix of storytelling pieces that we used to build out a full LEGO set just as iconic and timeless as the brick itself. The playfulness of the new identity reinforces the vision of the LEGO brand as a global force for learning through play.”

By honouring the brands heritage and the product with a set of clear design elements, it is able to create a consistent brand experience for its evolving audience. Its enhanced brand identity is building increased global recognition for the brand and already driving efficiency, consistency, and excitement inside and outside the organisation.

The LEGO Group
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.

The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”. Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. However, its products are now sold in more than 130 countries worldwide.

For more news from the LEGO Group, information about our financial performance and responsibility engagement, please visit www.LEGO.com/aboutus.

Interbrand

Interbrand has been a world leading brand consultancy for over 5 decades – having pioneered iconic work and forged many of the brand building tools that are commonplace across the industry today.

In collaboration with the world’s leading brands, Interbrand’s global team of thinkers and makers are pioneering the future of brand building. By turning customers into active participants, Interbrand helps clients strengthen their brands on an ongoing basis – its approach gives them the confidence to make Iconic Moves that spark desire and create utility, driving extraordinary results.

Interbrand is a part of Omnicom’s (NYSE:OMC) Brand Consulting Group.