Harland & Wolff

Founded in 1861, Harland & Wolff is one of the most storied names in shipbuilding, responsible for vessels including RMS Titanic and the UK’s first supertanker, Myrina. After decades of decline and strategic drift, the brand had become fragmented and in need of renewal.

We were tasked to create a visual identity and design system that honours this engineering heritage while looking decisively to the future. The new identity, built around precision, scale and industrial confidence, introduces new supporting elements as well as a disciplined typographic system and a signature palette of intense black and warm yellow.

Documented in comprehensive brand guidelines and applied across communications, print, signage, uniforms, vehicles and digital channels, our work brings cohesion back to a complex business and underpins Harland & Wolff’s return as a revitalised industrial icon.

The revitalised brand supported high-stakes bids, including a £250m UK National Flagship submission, as well as securing a £1.6 billion Royal Navy contract as part of Team Resolute.

From Titanic to Tomorrow: To mark Harland & Wolff’s 160th anniversary, colleagues at Engage created this exceptional video producing a powerful narrative that pays homage to the shipbuilder’s rich heritage while firmly looking to the future. It also acts as a celebration of the brand identity we crafted: highly adaptable and cohesive across digital, print, and beyond.

Harland & Wolff archive image showing Titanic docked in Belfast

Harland & Wolff archive image showing exterior buildings in the late 1800, early 1900s with ship in background

Harland & Wolff archive image showing exterior of ship being built in the late 1800, early 1900s

Harland & Wolff archive image showing ships under construction in the docks

Harland & Wolff archive image showing exterior buildings in the late 1800, early 1900s with railway line in foreground

Harland & Wolff National Flagship bid design - Render by SMC

For the £250m UK National Flagship competition, we designed and oversaw the production of a very high specification bid presentation pack incorporating an large (A3 landscape) book, design schematics, boards and a custom-engineered hard case, applying the identity with the same care and authority as the ships themselves. Tactile, detail-focussed, and luxurious.