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.

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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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Newsletter from Rei Inamoto

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Newsletter from I&CO

"I&CO Foresight" is a biweekly newsletter exploring the future of Japan across society and business. (Published in Japanese)

New York

26 Broadway, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10004
+1 (917) 793-9045

Tokyo

15-1, Udagawa-cho

Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

+81 050 3708 9045

Singapore

152 Beach Rd,
#36 Gateway East,
Singapore 189721

Newsletter from Rei Inamoto

Subscribe to The Intersection, a newsletter about insights on relevance at the intersection of creativity and technology.

Newsletter from I&CO

"I&CO Foresight" is a biweekly newsletter exploring the future of Japan across society and business. (Published in Japanese)

New York

26 Broadway, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10004
+1 (917) 793-9045

Tokyo

15-1, Udagawa-cho Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

+81 050 3708 9045

Singapore

152 Beach Rd, #36 Gateway East,
Singapore 189721

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English