CLIENT
Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC)
Strategy Events Audiovisuals Web Design Visual identity
The Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM), a CSIC research centre located in Barcelona and a European reference in marine research, faced the need to deeply renew its way of communicating after more than 80 years of history. Ondeuev led this transformation process with the goal of redefining its positioning, building a shared narrative, and providing the centre with an identity aligned with its scientific ambition and international projection.
The challenge: aligning the centre around a new strategic positioning
The client’s objective was clear: to obtain the Severo Ochoa distinction for the first time. To achieve this, the entire centre initiated an internal alignment process involving accelerated structural changes and coherent communication.
This was an ambitious project requiring clearly defined working phases and precise objectives to ensure a solid and sustainable outcome. The first phase consisted of developing a brand strategy together with a significant part of the scientific and management community.
Through participatory workshops and group dynamics, ICM’s first brand narrative was defined, creating a shared vision of its new positioning and international projection.
“Our image is a public expression of what we want to be. Reaching this definition required an important effort of introspection and serious reflection on where we are and how to find the best path forward.”
— Josep Lluís Pelegrí, researcher and former director of ICM.
The solution: a collectively built identity and a new digital experience
With the strategic foundation agreed upon, we began designing the new visual identity. This moment represented a turning point for the centre: the proposal implied a clear break from the previous image to coherently reflect its new institutional stage.
The process required time and guidance to support the organisation in assimilating the change, understanding that rebranding only makes sense when it responds to a real need and is strongly justified. In this case, the prior strategic process had established the necessary foundations.
The new identity became a collective success. A new image was not only created but built collaboratively with the people of the centre, generating community pride and a strong sense of belonging.
The next phase involved designing and developing the new corporate website, a particularly complex project. Graphically, the website needed to reflect the values of the new brand, but more importantly, it had to make research accessible to diverse audiences, many of whom are not directly connected to the scientific world.
To achieve this, content was structured around the three major scientific challenges defined in the new strategic plan, creating a clearer and more accessible narrative aligned with the centre’s renewed vision.
With the three pillars consolidated — brand strategy, visual identity and website — the project continued through additional strategic applications: the new annual report, gender plan, exhibition stands and various corporate communication initiatives aimed at reinforcing the new positioning in a coherent and sustained way.
Results: a successful case of institutional transformation
Today, the Institut de Ciències del Mar stands as a successful example of institutional transformation and a reference within its sector. The project helped consolidate a clear identity, internally aligned and capable of communicating the value of its research coherently on an international scale.
The transformation demonstrated the strategic role of communication in complex scientific environments and has become an inspiration for other research centres, both large and small, that understand communication as a key tool for strengthening impact and future projection.
