Christopher Lewis creates Rosetta stone

London design group Christopher Lewis Associates has created the name and identity for a new military communications service aimed at the UK Ministry of Defence and NATO allies.

Called Rosetta – after the stone that enabled translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics – the initiative is a collaboration between BT, BAE Systems and aerospace company Lockheed Martin. It aims to speed up the evolution of a new generation of British military communications, replacing the existing satellite system, Skynet 4.

The brand name has associations with communication across languages and nations. The logo is based on the Rosetta stone, featuring a stylised letter “R” circling the earth in an arc with the sun rising in the background. Corporate literature also features stone detail.

“We aimed to capture the essence of Rosetta’s objectives, while giving a single voice to each of the three high-profile companies involved,” says Christopher Lewis account director David Crozier. “The sunrise represents the beginning of a new era in the provision of this technology.”

Christopher Lewis Associates was invited to pitch for the project on the strength of similar work undertaken for the delivery arm of BT Defence.