Cadmus has rebranded, shifting the focus from its familiar digital presentation to the university environment from which the platform itself once emerged. The service was launched in 2015 within the University of Melbourne and later evolved into an international product used by hundreds of thousands of students and faculty members in Australia, the U.S., and the U.K. At this new stage, the company needed a brand identity more closely tied to academic culture and the history of education.
Lovework Studio, based in Queensland, worked on the project. The team’s task was to move away from the typical tech-inspired look and create a brand identity that feels natural for universities. The new logo retains the pen, already familiar to the audience, but its design has become lighter and thinner. Now the silhouette is closer to a living handwritten gesture, accompanied by a new font with classic serifs. Thanks to this combination, the logo is more strongly associated with writing, knowledge, and academic tradition.
The design is inspired by Renaissance art and features rich tones. They connect the brand to the cultural memory of universities and the long history of education. Alongside the new logo, a series of hand-drawn images has been introduced, where modern student life is intertwined with motifs from antiquity. This visual style makes the brand’s image warmer and eliminates the dryness often found in educational platforms.
The company’s own history also helps explain the rationale behind the redesign. Cadmus was created as a tool to combat academic misconduct, but over time, it has evolved into a support system for students and faculty. Now, the brand’s focus is no longer on control, but on assisting in the learning process. The new brand identity conveys precisely this role. Cadmus does not look like an external digital service, but rather like a part of the university environment, connected to its rhythm, traditions, and everyday life.