Defence contractor Paradigm hails Taxi Studio revamp

The firm behind the Ministry of Defence’s global military satellite system, Paradigm Secure Communications, is launching an overhauled brand identity created by Bristol consultancy Taxi Studio.

Skynet 5A, the satellite that provides secure communications to the MoD and other Government departments, launched at the weekend on an Ariane 5 rocket that carried the new Paradigm logo, a gold ‘P’ symbol which also represents the shape of an ear.

‘Paradigm wanted a much more human feel, with some persona – the aerospace industry is very faceless,’ explains Taxi Studio design director Alex Bane. ‘The ear also illustrates how the company listens closely to its customers and advises on communication solutions.’

The identity is now being applied to all of Paradigm’s operations, including corporate stationery, signs, gifts and internal communications. Photographer Pete Canning has also rebuilt the firm’s entire image library, shooting on location at a number of high-security sites throughout the UK and at an active military base in Bosnia. All the shots in the library are angled slightly skyward to reflect the nature of Paradigm’s satellite infrastructure.

Taxi Studio initially began working with Paradigm in November 2005 on an internal communications programme. It designed a series of hardback, gold-gilt books called Paradigm Parables, each book offering an illustrated ‘behaviour’ of one of the company’s brand values. The consultancy commissioned illustrator Fred Van Deelan to produce a bookplate litho illustration for each of the titles.

Following this project, Paradigm head of marketing Sara White approached the consultancy to handle the entire rebranding of the company, according to Bane. ‘We held strategic meetings with key stakeholders and management to define what they wanted from the brand identity and to identify what their business plan is over the next few years.

One of the things they hope to do is provide communications bandwidth for industries outside the defence and Government sectors, so they needed a brand personality that could achieve this,’ Bane explains.

PARADIGM SECURE COMMUNICATIONS
• Holds the £2.5bn contract until 2018 for the Ministry of Defence’s Skynet 5 secure satellite communications (the largest-ever private finance initiative contract awarded by the MoD)
• Responsible for all confidential communications in and out of Whitehall globally
• Supplies bandwidth to international governments and organisations such as Nato
• Subsidiary of EADS Astrium
• Retains Taxi Studio to work on brand development