A new base for London’s next innovators

Base One, London’s newest science and technology hub, officially opened its doors in September. Owned by Imperial College London and operated by Sciopolis, the 55,000 sq ft building in North Acton offers affordable, high-quality labs and offices for organisations across the science, health and tech sectors, amongst many others.

Sitting within the Old Oak Innovation Cluster and WestTech London, the hub has been designed to tackle the space problem, facing growing innovators: flexible, ready-to-occupy space that adapts as companies move from R&D to prototyping and production. We’re proud to have created the brand that now names it.

THE CHALLENGE

Base One needed an identity that would work first and foremost as a building name and wayfinding marker, set against a black exterior that already carries strong facade graphics. It had to signal innovation without tipping into the futuristic, and feel approachable to founders stepping out of incubators into their first larger premises. It needed to sit close to Sciopolis while staying distinct from Imperial, and it had to last – holding up across architecture, signage and digital for a decade and beyond.

THE SOLUTION

Working with Sciopolis and Imperial, we defined the role of the brand before designing it. Base One isn’t a corporate campus or an academic institution. It’s a working environment, so the identity became a clear, confident container: one that frames the science happening inside rather than competing with it. Innovative but grounded. Intelligent but accessible. Calm rather than expressive.

The wordmark is set in a simple, open typeface that brings clarity and structure to the name, legible from the street and at a glance in a corridor. The one moment of expression sits in the “O” of One. It’s built from converging segments that represent the elements, organisations and people coming together under one roof, which is the whole point of the building.

A core pairing of purple and navy gives Base One its own presence, with the navy creating a natural link to Sciopolis. Around it, a palette of bold, complementary pastels brings energy to interiors and communications without crowding the building’s exterior. Work Sans carries headlines and body copy across everything, and an outline version of the wordmark lets the identity step back where the space needs it to.

The system has been built to work across every touchpoint: building signage, flags and glazed wayfinding, interior graphics, a marketing brochure and ID passes. Dedicated lockups sit Base One alongside Sciopolis and the Imperial Incubator, so the relationship between the three is always clear.

The result is an identity that’s easy to find, easy to use and built to last. It’s simple enough to guide people through the building and flexible enough to grow with the community inside.

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