Octavius Infrastructure

Rebranding Osborne Infrastructure

SHIFT was appointed by Sullivan Street Partners, a London-based private equity firm, to rebrand Osborne – the longstanding infrastructure business.

The challenge:

Following the acquisition of Osborne Infrastructure, Sullivan Street Partners wanted to rename and rebrand the business.

At the time SHIFT was appointed, the Sullivan Street Partners team had shortlisted a selection of names, which included: Octavius, Obsidian, Horizon, Omnium and Orchard.

This presented SHIFT with five creative routes to explore, which we covered in detail over a comprehensive sketchbook phase. The sketchbook was presented to Sullivan Street Partners for the team to review.

The results:

We developed multiple potential identities for each of the five names. However, one in particular stood out.

This was a proposed identity for Octavius, which was a modern interpretation of the Roman warrior helmet. Some Roman helmets had brushes – or plumes – of horsehair in a crest. The crests denoted rank; the smaller the crest, the lesser the position. A larger crest denoted a higher ranking officer. Incorporating a large crest into an ‘O’, we developed two options: one with a Roman’s helmet in the centre of the ring, and one without. Both options offered a twist on a classic Roman visual. The design without the helmet’s inclusion provided the sense of radiant light – almost sunrise-like in its appearance.

This identity was selected by Sullivan Street and refined by Octavius’s communications team.

The stats:

Rebranded a major UK infrastructure firm

Developed a selection of identities based on five creative pathways