Defence agencies launch identities

The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency will unveil the visual identities of the two units it has split into in April.

DERA has split into Defence Science and Technology Laboratories and a unit provisionally known as New DERA, the new name of which will also be launched in April.

Roundel has been confirmed as the consultancy designing the brand identity for DSTL.

The Partners’ appointment to brand New DERA was revealed by Design Week in January (DW 12 January).

Part of Roundel’s brief is to provide an internal communications strategy for the organisation’s 3000 workers around the country.

The design projects are being co-ordinated by strategic consultancy Radical, which heads up Star Alliance, a federation of companies including Roundel and The Partners, set up to act as consultants to DERA.

Star Alliance pitched against other consultancy networks for the work. The two design consultancies are sub-contracted to Radical. No parties involved would disclose fees.

New DERA, which retains the Ministry of Defence as one of its key clients, is the subject of an approved public/ private partnership and is expected to launch this year.

DSTL will be retained by the MoD, as well as other Government departments, to provide scientific and technical research services, but is also being launched as a business in its own right and will also offer services to the commercial sector. It will, however, be kept under the auspices of the MoD because it is felt that some elements of the organisation are too sensitive for exposure to the commercial sector.

Radical consultant Ian St John says: “DERA was working increasingly within the commercial sector and its move into PPP is a logical step.”

Both organisations will officially begin trading under their new names and identities from 2 July.