Leading with the leopard: Goldsmiths’ Company unveils striking new visual identity ahead of 700th anniversary

Monday 27 January 2025: In the run-up to its 700th anniversary, the Goldsmiths’ Company has unveiled a striking new visual identity, leading with the iconic leopard, a heraldic symbol at the heart of the company for seven centuries – celebrating its past and paving a path for the future.

The Goldsmiths’ Company collaborated with Steve Edge Design to craft the new visual identity that builds on its legacy and brings to life the shared story of the Company, its charitable Foundation, the London Assay Office, and the craft and trade it has championed for seven centuries.

Annie Warburton, CEO and Clerk of the Goldsmiths’ Company says:

“As a company with deep roots in the past, we do meaningful work in the contemporary world. This is as rare as it is remarkable. Recognising this, it is essential that in honouring our past, we retain our relevance today. Our bold, new visual identity embodies the best of us – the spirit and essence of the Goldsmiths’ Company and the creative people that we have supported since the 14th century and still do today.”

The visual identity draws on heraldic symbols from Goldsmiths’ Coat of Arms – the leopard’s head, the cup and buckles, demi-maiden and unicorn – to celebrate passion and pride in its heritage, and ambition for the future.  

The most iconic of these symbols is the leopard’s head, the London town mark and the first British hallmark. Known, early on, as the King’s mark, the leopard is a quality assurance mark, introduced in 1300 by King Edward I, to indicate the purity of items made of precious metal.

The London town mark is still applied today to items of gold and silver by the London Assay Office, headquartered at Goldsmiths’ Hall in the City of London – fondly known as the ‘home of hallmarking’ because it was the site of the UK's first assay office and, hence, the origin of the term ‘hallmark’.

A visual expression of past, present, and future

Richard Reid, Prime Warden (Chairman-equivalent) of the Goldsmiths’ Company, says:

“The leopard’s head is a visual expression of our past, our present, and our future, and of the creative industry we champion and support. It is a timeless icon, interpreted in hundreds of ways by different craftspeople over the centuries. It felt only right to explore and build upon this legacy, by ‘leading with the leopard’ in our new brand designs.” 

A family of brands 

The leopard head is the new logo for the Goldsmiths’ Company and its family of brands – the London Assay Office, the Goldsmiths’ Foundation and the Goldsmiths’ Centre. The team at Steve Edge Design thoughtfully recrafted the leopard head to create a more elegant, refined silhouette, reflecting the skill and finesse of the crafts of jewellery and silversmithing.

A leopard that ‘captures the imagination’ 

Steve Edge, Founder & Creative Director of Steve Edge Design, explains:

“The leopard’s head embodies the brand story of the company – it is one of the treasures we uncovered during our time working with the Goldsmiths’ team. Our modified design introduces the idea of craftmanship. While there is visual symmetry, not all elements are identical, giving it a sense of something handmade. It’s a more friendly, approachable – dare I say playful – leopard that captures the imagination.” 

A new graphic language  

As part of the project, Steve Edge Design created a new graphic language for the Company. This includes a refined and updated Coat of Arms. Each of the components of the Coat of Arms that make up the Goldsmiths’ brand story has evolved in harmony with the leopard’s head design to create an expressive, playful, ‘visual language’. 

Freedom of expression  

Tom West, Senior Design Director for the project, says:  

“Each of these symbols can be used on their own, separate from the Coat of Arms, providing freedom of expression through silhouettes and graphic shapes. They can also be layered alongside the new, distinctive, brand colour combinations that we developed, inspired by the colours present in Goldsmiths’ Hall, from the carpets and furnishings to the sandstone and bricks on the Hall’s façade and the gilded Corinthian columns in its rooms.” 

 A key feature of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s visual identity is its imaginative use of typefaces and fonts. The chosen typeface, Romie, evokes its heritage and history, with flourishes reminiscent of those seen in hallmarks.