The Brief
De Beers’ Diamond Trading Company (DTC) approached us with a strategic branding challenge: to create a bold new visual identity that would position them as the world’s most sustainable and trusted source of uncut diamonds.
At the heart of the brief was a desire to reinforce DTC’s leadership in the market — not just in scale or heritage, but in values, innovation, and forward-thinking sustainability. This positioning was to be communicated clearly and confidently to a highly exclusive audience: the Sightholders.
Sightholders are a handpicked group of elite diamond traders who are granted privileged, first-access opportunities to purchase the finest rough diamonds available on the market. Each year, this invitation-only group is formally engaged through a suite of highly curated materials — from official contracts and presentation boxes to detailed brochures outlining the annual offer.
Our task was to craft an identity system that not only spoke to prestige, trust, and quality, but also communicated the modern, ethical, and progressive values that underpin De Beers’ evolving story. The identity had to work across both print and physical touch-points, delivering a seamless experience from the first handshake to the final stone.
Design Approach
Our creative journey began with a visit to De Beers’ diamond vaults in Farringdon — an immersive experience that informed the conceptual foundation of the new identity. Inspired by the cutting process of an uncut diamond — where a single stone is expertly cleaved into two brilliant diamonds — we developed an icon that encapsulated this transformation.
The resulting mark featured two symmetrical cut diamonds nestled within the outline of an uncut stone, symbolising precision, duality, and latent value. This icon was placed confidently at the top right of the DTC logotype, bringing harmony and balance to the composition while subtly signalling progression and refinement.
To enhance the sense of light, luxury, and depth, the icon was filled with a bespoke gradient of blue and purple hues, derived from the naturally refracted spectrum observed in diamonds under light.
To complement the core identity, we created a powerful supporting graphic element — a redacted, faceted image named ‘The Shining Light.’ This asset acted as a visual metaphor for brilliance, clarity, and focus. Used consistently across communications, it was always positioned with its brightest point in the top-left corner, evoking a natural source of illumination.
To embed and activate the identity, we developed a comprehensive brand guidelines system, ensuring clarity and consistency across all applications.
The pinnacle of the identity rollout was a bespoke black lacquered presentation case, created for DTC’s exclusive group of Sightholders. Inside, a precision-engineered glass divider featured a laser-etched version of The Shining Light graphic. Beneath it, recipients found a beautifully printed brochure, contract documents, and a custom-designed, engraved metal glass loupe — a symbol of discernment, trust, and craftsmanship.
From high-spec print materials to tactile, immersive experiences, every element of the new DTC identity was carefully considered to deliver a modern expression of timeless prestige, firmly re-establishing DTC as the world’s most trusted and respected name in rough diamond trading.
