St Paul’s carving-inspired rebrand stays true to Wren’s vision

Sir Christopher Wren’s domed masterpiece, St Paul’s, has wisely drawn inspiration from its architect when it came to reimagining its brand.

St Paul’s Cathedral in London probably wouldn’t have benefited from a ‘London Olympics 2012’ style identity overhaul, let’s face it.

Instead, Pentagram was brought on board to establish a new visual identity The agency, working alongside strategists at Simple Revolution and the Cathedral’s own stonemasons, developed a hand-carved wordmark inspired by engravings in the stonework and archival books from the library.

Elevated letterforms nod to centuries of craftsmanship while a refined monogram, updated typography pairing Dinamo’s Arizona Flare with Raleway, and a colour palette drawn from the building’s muted stone tones to its vibrant mosaics create a flexible system that somehow feels both timeless and contemporary.

The rebrand underscores the Cathedral’s refreshed vision: to inspire faith, welcome everyone and serve as a cathedral for London and the world.

Fitting font use

Given that the cathedral has survived fire, war and changing tastes, we love how the designs respect this legacy with a timeless, clean reimagining.

The juxtaposition of the photography, bold but classy Pantones, and selected imagery do a lot to bring out Pentagram’s vision.

There’s a satisfying ‘same but different’ vibe to the end result, putting the designs at odds with more radical rebrands such as the 2018 British Museum overhaul by North or the V&A’s 2017 refresh by A Practice for Everyday Life, both of which leaned harder into minimalism.

Satisfying modern audiences, and (probably) the original stonemasons behind Wren’s masterpiece is no mean feat. Yet somehow Pentagram has made a statement that speaks equally to tourists, worshippers and digital aficionados, without losing an ounce of St Paul’s historic soul.