Nord Anglia Education - Metacognition and Digital Lab
Sub-brand design for two internal initiatives at this global education provider
Metacognition
Metacognition is an important skill everyone can develop, when you know how.
It’s understanding how you learn best and using this knowledge to adapt your thinking style to thrive in different situations. Because everybody has a different way of learning.
Nord Anglia Education are helping their students develop their metacognitive skills.
This helps them to become confident learners and creative problem-solvers, so they’ll achieve more than they ever imagined possible no matter what they choose to do or be in life.
The brief
Nord Anglia Education asked us to develop a sub-brand for this internal initiative around the idea of 'thinking about thinking.' The tagline was 'it’s a learning superpower', so our concepts had to position it as such, as well as being inspiring and accessible for students of all ages.
The challenge
Metacognition is still a relatively niche concept. We had to take something abstract and make it immediately engaging - especially for children. So our first job was to understand it fully, then explore how it could become visual.
The process
We leaned into the idea of a 'superpower', creating a central motif: a composed circle and lightning bolt, radiating energy, ideas and insight. Aspirational children were placed at the heart of each composition, visually 'powered up' by these elements - as if their own thinking had been activated and they themselves had been energised.
The result
What began as an abstract concept became a bold and flexible identity design, bringing metacognition into everyday learning with vibrant storytelling. It helped make a complex idea feel exciting, real, and relevant to students and teachers alike.
We had to take something abstract and make it immediately engaging - especially for children.
Digital Lab
Nord Anglia’s Digital Lab is an internal innovation initiative designed to experiment with cutting-edge technologies in learning. Think: robots that help dyslexic and autistic children find their voice, and new tools to reimagine classroom engagement.
This is all possible thanks to the pioneering Nord Anglia Education teachers leading the way in innovation with technology underpinned by strong pedagogy and purpose.
The brief
The initiative needed a distinct identity - one that celebrated creativity, experimentation, and progress, without resorting to stereotypical and obvious science-related concepts.
The process
We leaned into metaphor: what if we created a 'lab', not of test tubes and goggles, but of ideas? We designed a playful 3D box to represent the lab itself - a place where ideas take shape, are trialled and tested. It became a framing device around headlines and imagery, signalling experimentation without leaning too heavily into ?science lab’ tropes.
The challenge
Digital Lab had to feel imaginative, innovative and expansive. It was important to communicate that this was a space for big ideas that work in the real world, with real students, teachers, and classrooms. The design had to feel both experimental and within reach - especially when representing tools that hadn’t been adopted yet.
The result
The Digital Lab identity struck just the right tone: visionary yet familiar, creative but grounded. It gave Nord Anglia a fresh identity for showcasing their platform - to share ideas, pilot technology, and drive forward-thinking education in a way that felt genuinely exciting. The box motif became a powerful, versatile branding tool. Most importantly, it made innovation feel like something everyone could be a part of.