Marking its bi-centenary, UCL’s Main Quad and Wilkins Building have received a bit of a makeover.

The Wilkins Building is the university’s original building, housing its iconic Main Library and dome, the Flaxman Gallery and Cloisters. Together with the Quad, it’s UCL’s main entrance, inspiration for its logo and heart of the campus.

Accompanying the refurbishment works, the whole campus is getting a brand refresh while the Wilkins Building and Quad has been given a visually distinct, but related brand because of its flagship status.

We’ve been working with UCL for nearly 20 years and were involved in the roll out of its previous visual brand. Visual brands typically need updating over time, to better reflect a brand’s positioning or to mark a moment.

Our latest design incorporates the new brand, carefully retaining visual cues that tie it into the new campus-wide UCL brand but matching colours featured in the refurbished Wilkins Building.

Our work covered internal signs, as well as externally, and included introducing tactile maps to support the university’s mission to improve accessibility.

The finished sign family reflects the Quad’s unique and special sense of place, improving accessibility and celebrating the university’s historic milestone.

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All images credited to Burwell Architects