Instiglio works with governments and public institutions around the world to make public spending more effective. It is known for its expertise in results-based financing, but its ambitions reach further: changing how the international development sector thinks about effectiveness and helping public institutions deliver better outcomes.
Building a brand to match Instiglio’s ambition
However, Instiglio’s brand was not telling that story. It was seen as a provider of technical assistance or a consultancy. Its visual identity felt corporate and inconsistent, making it harder to communicate the scale of the organisation’s work or stand out in a crowded sector.
We worked with Instiglio to develop a new brand strategy, messaging framework and visual identity that could bring together the different parts of its story.
Uncovering Instiglio’s inherent qualities
We began with research: reviewing Instiglio’s website, reports and strategy documents, running a workshop, and interviewing leaders and external partners. We wanted to understand what people valued about Instiglio, where perceptions were falling short and what the brand needed to communicate more clearly.
A consistent set of qualities emerged: technical rigour, purposeful disruption, an innovative but pragmatic mindset, and a way of working that supports partners while still being prepared to challenge them. Together, they described an organisation with deep specialist expertise and a much bigger ambition: to reshape the systems in which it works.
The research also surfaced a tension at the heart of the brand. Instiglio wants change to be led by the people working inside public institutions, but it also needs enough visibility and credibility to influence the wider system. The new brand therefore had to raise Instiglio’s profile without making it the hero of the story.
From strategy to identity
We used the research to develop a brand strategy and messaging framework, then carried that thinking into a new visual identity.
The brand idea at the heart of the identity is “a positive force”. We built the system around this mantra, ensuring that all elements – from the smallest of icons to the hero image treatment – had a feeling of meaningful movement, combined with a sharpness that echoed the rigour and expertise of the team.
Nicknamed “the spark of purpose”, the Instiglio logo symbolizes the moment that motivates leaders to drive institutional change. It’s abstract by design yet deeply meaningful – distinctive, representing motion and driving impact for society.
The careful orchestration of the overall visual style represents Instiglio as warm, inspiring and optimistic, but pragmatic and well aware of the challenges, with a strong sense of movement and momentum.
The wider brand system includes guidelines, image and graphic assets, presentation materials and staff onboarding, giving the Instiglio team practical tools to use the identity consistently.
Designing the new Instiglio website
The same thinking shaped the website design. We developed the site structure, content map, design concept and page templates, alongside copy support and specifications for Instiglio’s development team. The aim was to make the organisation’s offer easier to understand, connect individual areas of work to the wider mission and create a flexible system for future content.
You pushed us to think harder about who we are and helped us find language and a look that actually captures it. We’re proud of what we’ve built together.
For marketing and communications teams in think tanks, foundations and international development organisations, the challenge will be familiar. Organisations evolve, their ambitions grow and their work becomes more complex, while their brand continues to present an earlier version of who they are.
Instiglio’s new identity gives the organisation a clearer way to explain both what it does today and the wider change it wants to help bring about.
Is your organisation’s brand still telling an earlier version of its story? Speak to Soapbox about creating a clearer brand strategy, visual identity and digital presence for what comes next.