Janes
Repositioning Janes from publisher heritage to modern defence intelligence agency.
A brand built for the next century of defence intelligence
Janes had already evolved as a business; the brand simply needed to catch up. By aligning strategy, identity and implementation around a single, future-facing narrative, the work created a clearer expression of who Janes is today—helping the organisation communicate with greater confidence, consistency and relevance while preserving the credibility it has spent more than a century building.
Shift perception without losing authority, moving Janes from printed legacy to intelligence-led relevance
The brief
Janes was widely recognised for military magazines and yearbooks, but the business had moved on. The brief was to build a clearer story around what Janes is now, a forward-thinking defence intelligence agency delivering relevant, unbiased data. As a branding consultancy, we started with a brand audit and market research, then set a strategic direction that could carry across digital, product, and communications without breaking trust with long-standing audiences.
Project details
1. Audit and research
We ran a brand audit alongside competitor and industry study to understand category cues and where Janes could credibly stand apart. The work surfaced a clear tension, heritage expectations versus the reality of an intelligence agency. That became the strategic problem to solve.
2. Strategy and positioning
We defined a path that repositioned Janes around forward-thinking intelligence and unbiased defence data. The strategy gave the internal team a shared language for decisions, and gave the market a simpler, more accurate way to understand what Janes delivers today.
3. Creation and rollout
Over six months, this branding agency took the team through creation and implementation. We designed the system, then supported the tools and touchpoints needed to run it day to day, from templates to guidelines, and from digital structure to publication details.
Identity details
A competitor scan showed many sector colours were already claimed, so we chose orange as a stand-out opportunity. Paired with a slate grey base, it balanced technology with strength. The system was built to work across digital and print, supported by full brand and technical guidelines, plus clear rules for tone of voice and finishing details so teams could apply it consistently.
The result:
A clearer market signal, a more contemporary presence, and tools the team can actually use
Janes moved from being primarily recognised as a publisher to being understood as a defence intelligence agency. The orange and slate grey system brought a fresher, more contemporary feel without losing authority. The strategy, guidelines, and templates gave internal teams a practical framework for consistent decisions across channels.
A six month programme delivered tangible outputs across brand and digital, including website IA, wireframes and page designs, brand videos, brand and technical guidelines, a brand extranet, trademark advice, stationery, templates, PPT design and templates, and an updated publication masthead. The result was a complete set of assets ready for rollout.
Delivered as a six month end-to-end engagement covering brand audit, market research, brand strategy, brand creation, and implementation. The digital work included website information architecture, wireframes, and page design. Rollout support included a series of brand videos, full brand and technical guidelines, a brand extranet, trademark advice, stationery and template creation, PPT design and templates, plus a refreshed masthead for publications.
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