Pentagram’s Michael Bierut designs a new brand identity for MIT Technology Review

MIT Technology Review has launched a new brand identity and editorial design by Pentagram’s Michael Beirut.

The redesign launches with the July/August issue which reaches newsstands on July 3. The new features include a shift from Helvetica to Monotype’s Neue Haas Grotesk which is carried through to the nameplate and the rest of the cover. The redrawn wordmark has been customised and refined by Christian Schwartz at Commercial Type.

According to Pentagram, the typeface choices have been chosen “not just for legibility and ease of use, but for consistency across print and digital platforms”.

The redesign took into account the graphic history of MIT Technology Review and the team was led by Pentagram’s Michael Bierut. It introduces a flexible 12-column grid that allows for more diverse layouts and a greater mix of elements like sidebars, infographics and pull-quotes.

Pentagram’s redesign also introduces a new symbol; a monogram with a 45-degree cut through the letter “T" to form a lowercase “r”. (The configuration updates a longstanding “TR” logo.) The distinctive angle is integrated into layouts and aims to make information clearer.

Each print issue will examine a single theme or technology, and the project draws on MIT’s design heritage to create a publication that keeps readers better informed about the commercial, social and political impact of new technologies.

MIT Technology Review reaches newsstands July 3.