SomeOne has completed the rebranding for The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as The Inner Temple, which is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London.

To be ‘called to the Bar’ and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns.

Located in the wider Temple area of the capital, near the Royal Courts of Justice, and within the City of London, The Inner Temple takes its name from the Knights Templar, who originally leased the land to the Temple’s inhabitants (Templars) until their abolition in 1312. The Inner Temple was a distinct society from at least 1388. Today it functions an active Inn of Court with over 8,000 members.

“This is a significant time of change for The Inner Temple, with radical steps being taken to push the organisation into a new realm of more connected and digitally intelligent communications,” says SomeOne.

The rebrand has involved talking to students, barristers and judges, from people contemplating a career in the sector to those at the top of their profession. And key to the new look is the horse symbol.

“With an organisation like The Inner Temple, the branding had very much evolved, rather than benefited from being designed as a whole. Colours fluctuated, strategies varied, stories changed… but there was one constant — the Pegasus,” explain the designers. “Many brands love their logo, and we’ve said before that a logo is only a small part of a brand’s arsenal, but here, the mythical creature adorned almost every aspect of the Inn. From crockery to cufflinks to the very fabric of the buildings — there was no escaping the winged horse.”

SomeOne therefore set out to create “the most truthful and accurate depiction of a Pegasus ever attempted” by the brand.

“We started with filming horses in real life, analysing their skeletons, muscle, skin and hair. We looked at how a wing might connect to their shoulder, and built a highly accurate model of the winged horse,” further note the designers. “Every detail down to the silky sheen of the coat to the imperfections found in feathers was carefully crafted to create an ultra high definition CGI model that can be photographed from any angle, resulting in an instant library of brand assets.”

As well as a re-invented winged stallion, additional design details for The Inner Temple’s refreshed identity include a new typeface designed by Jason Smith, the founder of London-based foundry FontSmith. Called “Sienna”, the typeface is a contrasted sans-serif typeface, and is described as blending “classical elegance and modern simplicity”.

“Its construction and proportions are descended from classical broad-nib calligraphy and humanist typefaces, with a high contrast between the thick and thin strokes,” says SomeOne.

The agency has further redesigned The Inner Temple’s website, which currently receives more than 20,000 page views a month.

SomeOne
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