Cambridge Core
Cambridge Core is the global platform for Cambridge University Press’ academic content. A sophisticated, high-performance yet easy to use resource, this is the place to find valuable, useful and inspirational research and academic information. With over 1 million journal articles and 30,000+ books, Cambridge Core is the new central destination for academic research.
One of the first deliverables of this identity was a name, and after several presentations, Cambridge Core was chosen. Core firmly positioned Cambridge at the heart of Academia, as a vital starting point of any learning journey. The logotype produced, set in Avenir, needed to be flexible enough to create a precedent of consistency for future sub brands, as well as having the ability to incorporate the vast amount of subjects Cambridge Core will cover. The typography needed to be simple and clean to allow the logotype to comfortably adapt to each subject, whilst remaining confident in its master state.
The main specification for any image selection is that it has to be subject led, and portray that subject with a depth that accurately represents the highest standards of education that University of Cambridge is famous for. Secondly, and where ever possible without compromising the quality of the image, there should be some kind of circular element to reflect the ever changing ‘core’ of the logo. Ultimately, this creates a series of imagery that could be identified as being part of Cambridge Core, whatever the context they are viewed in.
In line with the logo and imagery, the central feature of the visual language that unifies all of the Cambridge Core led communications is the circular form. This can be utilised in numerous ways, either by being subtly placed over an image, to create a holding device, or be featured as part of a graphic illustration, to name but a few options.
Within the Cambridge Core platform there are a series of branded collections. These contain themed material, either by subject or content type, that is pulled together into a specific section of the site. One such collection is Cambridge Histories – an essential reference collection spanning 350 volumes in 15 subject areas. The identity for Cambridge Histories was designed as an extension of Cambridge Core and as such, it takes a lead from the master identity in terms of typography, colour and visual language. The development of this sub identity sets a precedent for future branded collections.
