Brand and design consultancy StormBrands has partnered with global engineering powerhouse GHD to create a compelling new brand purpose, architecture and design system to bring clarity and consistency across its network of businesses.

GHD is an Australian, multinational, technical professional services firm that provides solutions for the big human needs around water, energy and community infrastructure.

With two hundred plus offices worldwide across fourteen countries, the business has ambitious growth plans but needed a united purpose to bring together its somewhat disparate disciplines. Everything ‘GHD’ needed to feel connected and coming from one voice.

StormBrands has created a brand story that comes from the very heart of the GHD organisation. ‘The Power of Commitment’ was born from the employee-owned nature of the business and the principle that when you’ve got skin in the game, it matters more.

This new platform enabled StormBrands to further develop a ‘One GHD’ approach to reduce the complexity of the business and create a clear brand architecture with a strong master-brand. Beneath the master-brand lives a suite of services that form a family, but still have their own distinct personalities.

StormBrands approaches each new piece of work through the lens of their own purpose: “Energising brands to move mindsets, markets and culture.” In the case of
‘GHD‘, ‘The Power of Commitment’ informed everything, including: employee and client value propositions, logo, design system, custom glyphs, icons, font and tone of voice.

Nick Corbett, StormBrands Creative Director commented: “By acting as a strategic partner and not just providing a design fix, we were given the opportunity to make a meaningful change to GHD’s business that came from a powerful truth. We were able to help energise their people so that employees became ambassadors behind a brand that is now fit to match their ambitions.”