European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)

18 years. Never redesigned.

“In a think-tank the hard currency is ideas. Our job is to develop them, package them and disseminate them in order to change the world. The genius of David Carroll & Co is to translate complex concepts into stunning visuals which can transform the way that people look at political and business problems. The brand identity you developed for ECFR allowed us to make an impact from day one.

Mark Leonard

Co-founder and Director, European Council on Foreign Relations

The European Council on Foreign Relations is a pan-European think-tank whose ideas make a real impact across the world. Founded by Mark Leonard in 2007 as part of George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, ECFR needed a brand capable of establishing a vibrant new voice in a crowded marketplace from day one.

DC&CO created an identity that did exactly that. ECFR was named Best New Think Tank in the World for 2009 and 2010 by the University of Pennsylvania’s annual Global Go-To Think-Tanks report — the most authoritative ranking in the field. The brand has since earned three Prospect Magazine Think Tank of the Year awards. Eighteen years on, the identity has never been redesigned. ECFR now has offices in seven European capitals plus Washington DC, over 90 staff from more than 25 countries, and a council of more than 300 European leaders including heads of state, foreign ministers and EU Commissioners.

The test of a brand isn’t how it looks at launch. It’s whether it still means something years later, when the context has completely changed. We built something durable because we understood what they stood for, not just what they did.

 

european council on foreign relations ecfr logo world star, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

 

european council on foreign relations ecfr website, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

ECFR statement of principles, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

 

european council on foreign relations ecfr launch berlin, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

 

european council on foreign relations ecfr policy brief, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

european council on foreign relations ecfr policy brief, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

 

european council on foreign relations ecfr business cards, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

 

ECFR policy booklet, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

“When we founded ECFR in 2007, we were entering a crowded field and asking the world to take us seriously from day one. DC&CO made that possible. The brand they created gave us immediate authority and it has held for eighteen years without a single redesign. In that time, we’ve published thousands of policy briefs, built offices across Europe, shaped debates in capitals from Berlin to Beijing, and become one of the most cited think-tanks in the world. The brand has been present through all of it, consistent, credible, and always doing its job quietly in the background. That’s exactly what a great brand should do.”

Mark Leonard, Co-founder and Director, European Council on Foreign Relations

 

 

european council on foreign relations ecfr poster statement of principles, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

european council on foreign relations ecfr poster EU vs RUSSIA, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

What we did

We created the brand identity and website for ECFR from the ground up, giving a bold new voice to one of the world’s most ambitious think-tanks from day one. The brief was to establish instant credibility in a crowded marketplace. The brand did exactly that. ECFR was named Best New Think Tank in the World for 2009 and 2010 by the University of Pennsylvania’s annual Global Go-To Think-Tanks report, and has since won three Prospect Magazine Think Tank of the Year awards. Eighteen years later, the identity remains unchanged.

european council on foreign relations ecfr poster one voice for europe, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank public policy new brand, ECFR European Council on Foreign Relations public policy think-tank new brand, by David Carroll & Co London

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