Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies (IISE)
Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies (IISE)
Visual System for IISE
Visual System for IISE
Transforming thought leadership into a shared visual language
Transforming thought leadership into a shared visual language
IISE, an independent think tank within the NEC Group, leads in envisioning the future, collaborating with partners, and turning ideas into practical solutions. To integrate these initiatives into NEC Group's business culture, I&CO concepted and created a visual system that translated IISE's philosophy and processes into a clear, shared language — making collaboration easier for both internal and external stakeholders.
IISE, an independent think tank within the NEC Group, leads in envisioning the future, collaborating with partners, and turning ideas into practical solutions. To integrate these initiatives into NEC Group's business culture, I&CO concepted and created a visual system that translated IISE's philosophy and processes into a clear, shared language — making collaboration easier for both internal and external stakeholders.
CHALLENGE
CHALLENGE
When the vision to reality felt invisible
When the vision to reality felt invisible
IISE’s work frequently moved from vision to real-world action, but the process was often hard to see. NEC employees struggled to feel a personal connection to the thought leadership initiatives — or to IISE as the team driving them. IISE needed a symbol that could do two things at once: let anyone immediately grasp the work, and be recognized as distinctly IISE.
IISE’s work frequently moved from vision to real-world action, but the process was often hard to see. NEC employees struggled to feel a personal connection to the thought leadership initiatives — or to IISE as the team driving them. IISE needed a symbol that could do two things at once: let anyone immediately grasp the work, and be recognized as distinctly IISE.
WHAT WE DID
WHAT WE DID
Making IISE's process memorable and clear at a glance
Making IISE's process memorable and clear at a glance
I&CO simplified IISE’s complex activity flow into an intuitive three-phase visual language: Future Visioning, Empathy and Co-Creation, and Social Implementation. We redesigned the system around IISE’s existing starry sky motif to unify the work under one coherent framework.
I&CO then developed a narrative that illustrated how each element of IISE's activities relates to the others: the thought leader appears as the first evening star, thoughts and future visions take shape as a constellation, and collaborators are represented as individual stars. The surrounding brackets hold these elements together, highlighting IISE's ability to transform ideas into reality, and their commitment to making a positive impact on society.
To ensure the system's versatility across IISE's diverse fields of activity, I&CO developed flexible guidelines for changing background imagery while maintaining a consistent look, from static visuals to animated logos.
I&CO simplified IISE’s complex activity flow into an intuitive three-phase visual language: Future Visioning, Empathy and Co-Creation, and Social Implementation. We redesigned the system around IISE’s existing starry sky motif to unify the work under one coherent framework.
I&CO then developed a narrative that illustrated how each element of IISE's activities relates to the others: the thought leader appears as the first evening star, thoughts and future visions take shape as a constellation, and collaborators are represented as individual stars. The surrounding brackets hold these elements together, highlighting IISE's ability to transform ideas into reality, and their commitment to making a positive impact on society.
To ensure the system's versatility across IISE's diverse fields of activity, I&CO developed flexible guidelines for changing background imagery while maintaining a consistent look, from static visuals to animated logos.


OUR IMPACT
OUR IMPACT
110,000
110,000
NEC employees introduced to IISE thought leadership through the visual system
NEC employees introduced to IISE thought leadership through the visual system
87.9%
Mid-career hire satisfaction in IISE thought leadership onboarding
Mid-career hire satisfaction in IISE thought leadership onboarding
CAPABILITIES
CAPABILITIES
Market Research & Positioning
Visual Identity & Tone of Voice
Market Research & Positioning
Visual Identity & Tone of Voice
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