IDENTITY FOR BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION

Client: RWE
Corporate design / Visual identity system
Focus: Design strategy · Concept development · Identity systems · Visual language · Scalable design

Translating RWE’s transformation toward renewable energy into a flexible visual identity system built around movement, energy and change.
 

Role and Responsibilities

As part of the design team at Scholz & Friends, I worked as Design Lead on the development of RWE’s new corporate identity across concept, visual language and application. My work included the development of graphic principles, typography, iconography and a system designed to work across multiple corporate touchpoints.

Problem Statement and Goals

RWE was undergoing a fundamental transformation from a conventional energy company toward renewable energy. The identity needed to communicate this change while retaining the recognition, credibility and functional requirements of a major international energy brand.

Design Process and Methodology

We explored visual principles derived from the company’s changing energy landscape, including wind, movement and topographic structures. These references were abstracted into a graphic language rather than treated as individual visual motifs, allowing the concept to operate as a repeatable system.

Key Challenges and Solutions

The central challenge was balancing transformation with continuity: the identity had to signal substantial change without becoming disconnected from the existing organization. A modular visual system provided enough flexibility for different communication contexts while maintaining a recognizable underlying logic.

Outcomes and Learnings

The resulting identity could extend across corporate communication, digital applications, iconography and large-scale brand touchpoints. The project reinforced my interest in using design systems not simply to create consistency, but to translate organizational change into a coherent visual structure.