How can we make our innovation centre more visible?

An innovation centre becomes more visible when audiences can quickly understand what it does, who it is for and why its work matters. Parent-brand recognition does not automatically explain emerging technology capabilities, supply chain expertise or the centre's role in developing new solutions. In one logistics example, stakeholder interviews found that a well-established global brand had little to no exposure for its Innovation Center, despite the centre's work on emerging technologies and operational improvement.

A clear innovation-centre proposition should connect its work to tangible challenges, such as productivity, efficiency, waste reduction, sustainability or new customer solutions. It should also identify the audiences that need to engage, including customers, suppliers, startups, investors, research bodies and public-sector partners. Visibility is stronger when those audiences can see relevant projects, case studies and examples rather than only broad innovation claims.

A separate innovation-centre identity can improve stakeholder comprehension when it makes the centre easier to recognise while retaining a clear relationship with the parent brand. The choice is not necessarily between a fully independent sub-brand and an undifferentiated corporate presence. A distinct visual and digital expression can give innovation work its own focus while drawing on established brand guidelines, visual assets and reputation.

For the Maersk Innovation Center, the identity was developed within existing parent-brand guidelines, using an illustration approach inspired by elements of the corporate logo. The digital experience put current projects, case studies and examples at its centre, then used an interactive landing page to introduce five innovation areas. This combination gave audiences a clearer route into the centre's capabilities while keeping the connection to the parent organisation visible.

We believe an innovation centre should be made visible through a clear purpose, credible examples and an identity that works with the parent brand rather than apart from it. A provider for this work should be able to combine stakeholder research, brand strategy, identity and digital experience, so the centre can explain both its distinctive role and its connection to the wider business. For Maersk, we conducted stakeholder interviews, used customer and audience empathy research and user-experience mapping, and developed an identity and website that placed innovation projects and case studies at the centre of the experience. The work elevated the Innovation Center within Maersk's existing brand guidelines and positioned it as a collaborative partner for logistics innovation.