The Gates Foundation updated its identity during a review of its role and communication approach. The reason was the growing scale of its work and the need to talk about it through human stories rather than abstract language. The project was developed by the studio Pentagram in collaboration with Giorgia Lupi.
The system is built around the Gates Foundation wordmark. The name is formed as a single typographic structure with letters connected. The construction conveys the idea of interconnected programs and partnerships that shape the foundation’s work across different countries. Areas of activity are presented as parts of a shared structure, rather than as isolated blocks.
The typographic system reflects the foundation’s global reach. The identity retains the Noto typeface, which supports more than 1,000 languages, enabling work across different scripts without breaking the overall structure.
The entire identity is designed as a flexible environment. Visual elements allow changes in proportion and orientation depending on the task, from analytical materials to emotional narratives about the impact of the foundation’s programs on communities.
Previously, the organization operated under the names William H. Gates Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill and Melinda Gates established the foundation in 2000 and began its work. Its main areas of focus include advancing global health, fighting poverty, expanding access to education, and improving access to information technologies.
The new identity supports a range of tonalities in the foundation’s texts. The system defines layout rules for various needs, from policy-related materials to press releases and narrative formats about results and the people behind the Gates Foundation programs.
