Federation of Master Builders
Growth from the ground up:
Refreshing the brand backing British builders since 1941.
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB), founded during the Second World War, is the UK’s largest trade association for small and medium-sized builders. Trusted by thousands of members, it supports businesses with practical guidance and advocacy while helping raise standards across the sector.
Over time, however, the FMB’s visual identity had grown fragmented — multiple logos and inconsistent branding were diluting its authority and making communications feel disjointed. To address this, we partnered with their team to simplify and modernise the brand, creating a unified visual identity and clear guidelines to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.
The result is a confident, credible brand that reflects the FMB’s strength and professionalism, making it easier to support members, advocate for their interests, and maintain a strong, recognisable presence across the UK.
Solid foundations. Centred around a refined graphic system inspired by an isometric ‘blueprint’ grid, we developed a refreshed and pared-back visual identity for the Federation of Master Builders. This included a redrawn logomark, an updated colour palette, and the introduction of new graphic devices.
The resulting design system brings clarity and consistency across all touchpoints — from print and digital to event and environmental applications — and reflects the precision, professionalism and craft of the Federation’s nationwide membership. Thoughtful but understated, the identity reaffirms the trust and credibility the organisation has built over almost 80 years.
01 — Evolution
02 — Building blocks
01. The FMB logo consists of a representational symbol in the form of a house, within a hexagonal device, year establishment, as well as the wordmark. This sits within a rectangle of a deep shade of red — a nod to ‘Tudor Reds’ which were a high quality, kiln-fired sand faced brick.
02. The design system is built upon an isometric 'blueprint' grid of blocks.
03. We found a few items from the 1970's for sale online during our research stage including this FMB 1970/71 Year Book for North Western Counties Region as well as an original printing block of the logo.
04. Brand research showing a former FMB logo depicting new homes and blocks of flats in post-war Britain. The Queen and Queen Mother visiting the FMB stand at 'Building the New Britain Exhibition' at Olympia, London in 1957. Image: Federation of Master Builders / Pathe.
03 — 1970s publication with logo print block
04 — FMB logo in 1957
FMB brand guidelines. We created comprehensive brand guidelines, supported by master assets including logo packs, visual elements, and editorial templates. Designed to be practical and easy to use, the guidelines provide all the rules and tools needed for consistent, cohesive application as the refreshed identity is rolled out across print, digital, exhibition, signage, and merchandise.
Growth from the ground up: FMB Manifesto 2024. Our design for their 2024 Manifesto — printed on 100% recycled material — was launched at UK Parliament. The occasion offered an ideal platform to unveil the refreshed identity in a bold, tactile format, reinforcing the brand’s values of quality, responsibility, and craft.
Championing Local Builders, Powering National Progress. From upgrading homes to improve energy efficiency, embracing new technologies, and modern methods of construction, to delivering the housing the UK urgently needs — small builders sit at the heart of their communities. They drive local economies, employ local people, and train the next generation of skilled trades.
The refreshed design system strips back the noise to bring sharper clarity to messaging and content. Confident yet considered, it performs across print, digital, exhibition, signage, and merchandise. The result is a visual identity that feels precise, crafted, and polished — qualities that mirror the workmanship and professionalism of its members.
Related work
