Evolving Ofqual’s communication for a more modern digital audience
A full-scale brand refresh repositioning Publisher Collective around a more expressive, scalable and culturally aligned visual identity for the games and digital entertainment space.
Overview
Ofqual is the regulator for qualifications, exams and assessments in England.
I led a large-scale visual refresh designed to modernise both internal and external communications across social media, video, presentations, documents and educational content, while maintaining the trust and accessibility expected within the civil service and education sectors.
The challenge
Ofqual’s existing communication style felt overly corporate and restrictive across modern digital platforms, relying heavily on complex colour systems, dated illustration styles and text-heavy content.
The challenge was to create a more contemporary and engaging visual approach without compromising the professionalism, accessibility and institutional trust expected of a government regulator.
My role
As lead creative on the project, I was responsible for both the strategic direction and hands-on rollout of the refreshed identity.
Responsibilities included:
- Creative Direction
- Brand Refresh & Guidelines
- Design Systems
- Social Media & Content Strategy
- Motion & Video Direction
- Podcast Branding & Production
- Presentation & Document Templates
- Photography Direction
- Filming & Editing
- Stakeholder Collaboration
Approach
Rather than replacing the existing identity entirely, the refresh focused on evolving the brand into something more contemporary, flexible and digitally adaptable.
The Ofqual logo remained unchanged due to its use across official government documentation. Instead, I reinterpreted the logo within a structured container system, creating a new visual device that could be applied consistently across the wider identity.
I also simplified the wider colour system, replacing overly complex combinations with more focused blue and green gradient palettes that introduced greater depth, flexibility and visual consistency across digital content.
Alongside the visual refresh, I introduced:
- new photography direction to help humanise the organisation
- scalable templates for internal communications and presentations
- clearer social media systems focused on engagement and readability
- bold statistical and carousel-based content formats
- motion-led educational videos designed to simplify complex topics
Accessibility remained a key consideration throughout the project, particularly around typography, hierarchy, contrast and readability across digital and public-sector communication formats.
The refresh ultimately evolved beyond a brand guideline project into a broader communication system used across both internal operational materials and external public-facing content.
Outcome
The refreshed identity has since been rolled out across:
- social media
- video and podcast content
- presentations and templates
- internal communications
- documents and educational resources
- wider digital communications
Internally, the project introduced greater consistency and scalability across communication materials used throughout the organisation.
Externally, it established a more modern and audience-focused communication style designed to better support teachers and education professionals through clearer, more digestible content.
While audience growth remains a long-term objective, the refreshed approach has already contributed to increased engagement, follower growth and stronger audience interaction compared to previous content approaches. The work has also received strong positive feedback across the wider education sector, with organisations expressing interest in adopting similar communication strategies.