When true strengths are hidden

Te Honourable Society of King's Inns isn’t just teaching law – it’s also a working hub. Aspiring barristers study here. Judges meet colleagues over dinner. The library thrives with practitioners researching active cases. Students and senior counsel share the same halls.

Founded by King’s charter in 1541, it’s Ireland’s oldest school of law . But the depth of connection – proximity to real practice – wasn’t visible in how the institution presented itself.

The tone of voice was formal and distant. The visual identity showed empty architecture. Classical halls, perfectly lit,  unpopulated. For a prospective student choosing where to train, it looked more museum than a busy school and meeting place for practising barristers.

Meanwhile, universities were competing with contemporary facilities and sharp positioning. King’s Inns needed to show what made it genuinely distinctive.

The strategic insight – a community of practice

The breakthrough was identifying where the real value lay – and committing to making it central to everything.

Inside those classical halls was exactly what serious law students were looking for: connection to real practice. Not just lectures and exams, but proximity to working barristers, access to experienced practitioners, membership in a community that extends far beyond graduation.

This insight became the organising principle. Everything had to ladder back to it.

1. FROM: A venerable institution with ageing visual identity and imagery of empty halls, not showing the vibrant community within.
2. VIA: Within the historic halls lives a thriving community of practice. From young learners studying to learned judges meeting their peers.
3. TO: Make the living, breathing community visible – leveraging location and history while putting people at the heart of everything.

Articulating the strategy

The positioning line captures both dimensions: learning and practice. ‘Where the law is learned and lived’ makes it explicit. This isn't just where you study law. It's where you join a community that stays with you throughout your career.

The tone of voice needed to shift from venerable to confident. Less deference to tradition, more conviction about what King's Inns offers. The kind of language that resonates with someone making a significant career choice.

Making the strategy real

The brand’s revised visual identity had to honour the heritage while bringing the community to life.

The traditional crest is simplified – clearer and more contemporary in application. The colour palette is amplified. Rich heritage colours remained, but used with more confidence and energy.

Typography and messaging becomes more confident and assertive. The campaigns take on a more direct tone.

But the critical shift was photography. The architecture remained – it's genuinely beautiful and part of what makes King's Inns distinctive. But people became the subject. Students debating. Barristers in conversation. The library in active use. The halls filled with the community that actually inhabits them.

This wasn't just about better images. It required a commitment to making that community experience the defining feature of the institution.

Why it works

The rebrand positions King's Inns around what genuinely sets it apart – beyond its unique history.

For prospective students, it shows what they're actually joining: not just a historic building, but connection to a living community of practice. You're learning alongside people who are doing this work, in a place where practitioners still gather.

For the existing membership – barristers, judges, the wider community – it reinforces what matters. This is their place. ‘Where the law is lived’ speaks directly to them.

The CEO captured it: ‘He has a gift for finding the words and images, translating the concept of the strategy into practice. Your strategy doesn't just sit there in a PowerPoint.’

The strength was real. The strategy identified and focused it. The brand makes it visible and demands the institution lives up to it.

• ‍The challenge: reveal what makes King's Inns distinctive in a competitive market‍
• The insight: The real value is the thriving community of practice, not just a historic building for hire‍
• The articulation: Where the law is learned and lived‍
• The approach: Strategy and creative direction shifting focus from empty architecture to living community – simplified crest, amplified palette, confident tone, people-led photography