The mission
The global costs of cybercrime will reach $10.5 trillion in US dollars per year by 2025, according to Cybersecurity Ventures. To deal with this major societal issue, three universities joined forces to offer governments, citizens and businesses cutting-edge expertise by creating the Multidisciplinary Institute for Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience (IMC²). Soon after the IMC² was founded, its management committee turned to Prospek to develop a strategic brand positioning and create a strong visual identity. In a field where fear, complexity and uncertainty take precedence, the challenge was to stand out by communicating a positive, collaborative approach, while still remaining relevant in the eyes of stakeholders.
The solution
After carrying out working sessions with IMC² management and research on competitors in the field, our team proposed a brand strategy that aligned with the organization’s driving forces and ambitions. The new visual identity is articulated around resolutely distinct factors. First, the verticality of the acronym evokes the institute’s ambition to grow in height, to have a global perspective on the issues. The colour gradients symbolize the desire to break down the silos between the disciplines and between individuals, while the choice of colours communicates accessibility in order to invite collaboration and pragmatism. Finally, the impactful typography communicates the institute’s ahead-of-the-curve relevance: that a collaborative approach in cybersecurity meets current challenges so well that it will be recognized around the world.
The result
The brand image of the IMC² was unveiled at Polytechnique Montréal on October 18, 2023. Before an audience of Quebec government representatives, rectors, professors, students, entrepreneurs and players in the Canadian cybersecurity ecosystem, the new brand was welcomed with great enthusiasm. It fully embodies the institute’s vision: a society that’s innovative and cyber-resilient thanks to the mobilization of multidisciplinary forces. The new brand identity has launched the spirit of mobilization, an essential ingredient of the young university institute’s success.
“This very exciting project offered an opportunity to dive into the fascinating world of cybersecurity. It was an honour to help build a virtuous brand that’s at the core of today’s challenges. Thank you to Marc Gervais and the eminent management committee for their confidence.”
Sylvain Arsenault
Partner and President
