Hume Foundation

John Hume was a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, civil rights leader and internationally recognised statesman. John and his wife Pat are widely recognised as brave and selfless leaders for peaceful change who laid the groundwork for what became the Good Friday Agreement, bringing peace to Northern Ireland. A foundation was established in their name in 2019 and formally launched in 2020, the year that John died. We were honoured to be asked by the board of the foundation to define the core principles that guided John and Pat’s approach to peaceful change and to reflect their values in a visual identity. 

Working closely with the board and family members we created a simple, strong identity centred around the wordmark ‘HUME’. The wordmark was designed to reflect the combination of strength and humility that the Hume’s displayed in their public and private lives. The use of red reflected the Hume’s hometown of Derry while referencing their belief in social democracy as being inclusive of all traditions on the island of Ireland. As well as the core identity we created a website for the foundation and a range of support and launch materials that brought the identity to life. 

The identity was well received by family, friends and colleagues of John and Pat Hume, who acknowledged that the identity reflected the authenticity and simplicity of the couple and their vision. It was fitting too that it has assisted in focusing the purpose of the foundation at a time when the need for leadership in peaceful change is needed more than ever.