Brandient creates the brand for Edge Institute — the independent think tank for Romania's digital transformation
Bucharest, April 2025 — Edge Institute, an independent think tank for Romania’s digital transformation, launches with a brand created by Brandient.
At Brandient, we've always had a special affinity for developing and supporting brands that have a higher chance of making a positive impact on the economy and society. In today's world, where geopolitical tensions are escalating and economic instability looms, the most resilient and adaptable economies are those that embrace digital technology. Digital agility is key to survival and growth. This is an area where Romania is in dire need of a... well, a positive impact.
A Digitally Challenged Country
Let's not sugarcoat it. Despite its tech talent and pockets of innovation, Romania is dragging its feet on digitalization. In 2022, McKinsey warned of the widening technological gap between Romania and the rest of Europe—one that could jeopardize the country's long-term prosperity. The report emphasized that closing this gap is essential for economic growth and resilience. Yet, as if nothing had changed, two years later, in 2024, the European Commission placed Romania dead last in the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) report. Last. Out of all EU countries.
Determined to turn the tide, a group of Romania's brightest minds in digital transformation approached us to create a brand for an independent think tank aimed at accelerating the country's digital progress. A mission so daring and vast, it seemed implausible. Our initial skepticism was quickly tempered by their professional, disciplined approach—sparing no resources and cutting no corners to get it right.
They began with qualitative research led by top specialists, uncovering citizens' genuine concerns about technology. A further deep-dive quantitative study grounded their findings in real data and the lived experiences of Romanian people. Studying success stories from Europe's most digitally advanced nations, assembling a board of leading experts, and making sharp strategic decisions along the way—they seemed to have considered every angle. Their insights were human, nuanced, and urgent.
Watching them in action, we understood that this brand needed more than a sleek tech aesthetic. It needed soul. It needed an... edge.
Branding for Impact, Not for Show
Too often, branding is mistaken for a shell. But when it's done right, it becomes the core. This Think Tank needed a brand that could tell a story, spark relevance and emotion, rally intellect, invite dialogue, and move policymakers—all while staying rooted in human reality.
So we came up with a name that cuts through the jargon: Edge—short, sharp, directional. A name that stands for Empowering Digital Growth and Evolution, speaking of leadership and forward-thinking, not bureaucracy.
Visually, the brand identity is rooted in the symbol of the pixel—the building block of all things digital. Flexible, agile, and infinitely modular, the pixel became our metaphor for progress, perspective-shifting, and the systematic thinking that defines Edge Institute.
But to render a high-resolution image of what Edge truly stands for, we needed to go deeper.
We built a conceptually rich visual territory around what we call the "pixels of history"—black-and-white archival photographs capturing key moments of technological advancement across Romania's social and economic fabric. Carefully selected for their authenticity—free from propaganda or ideology—these images reconnect the past with the future. They bring humanity into the equation. They tell a story of innovation, ingenuity, and the positive impact technology can have on people's lives.
By embedding these visuals into the brand, we gave Edge an emotional anchor. A brand that doesn't feel foreign, futuristic, or out of reach—but unmistakably Romanian. Because Romania's digital future shouldn't feel alien. It should feel like progress people can recognize, relate to—and trust.
The goal of this project was not only to reflect a tech-driven mindset, but to articulate a vision—one that propels Romania’s digital future while drawing meaning from its past. The visual identity was designed as a flexible system: from symbolism to color, it acts as a modular framework that adds a human dimension to structured, systems-oriented thinking.
—Raluca Circo, Senior Brand Designer Brandient
And trust starts with empathy. From the beginning, Edge was positioned to lead not only with strategy and data, but with emotional intelligence. That's what makes this brand more than a look. It's a launchpad—for ideas, for impact, and for national momentum. And in a country like Romania, that momentum could make all the difference.
A Pivotal Moment for Romania
The launch of Edge Institute comes at a crucial time. Romania has a rare opportunity to reinvent the relationship between citizens and the state—through digital tools that are inclusive, efficient, and transparent. This is about more than connectivity. It's about competitiveness, trust, and quality of life. And it's within reach.
We’re proud to have shaped the brand identity of Edge Institute—one that communicates vision, inspires confidence, and stays grounded in human relevance. We believe this is Romania’s moment—to modernize its institutions, to empower its people, and to build a digital infrastructure that delivers real, visible progress.
—Delia Soare, Senior Brand Consultant Brandient
About Brandient
Brandient is an independent brand strategy and design consultancy founded in Bucharest in 2002 by Aneta Bogdan, Cristian Kit Paul and Mihai Bogdan — never part of a global network, working directly for the owners, CEOs and boards of its clients, with an all-senior team and category exclusivity. In over two decades the firm has created or rebuilt more than 300 brands, 279 of them published as case studies at brandient.com/work — from Romania’s national leaders to brands carried worldwide. The firm has been active in Southeast Asia for more than a decade. The work has earned 84 international awards and distinctions — most recently a Red Dot (2025) and two Graphis Golds (2026) — 64 documented mentions in international design books and publications, and, in 2015, a place among the inaugural inductees of the REBRAND Hall of Fame, alongside Interbrand and MetaDesign.
About Edge Institute
Edge Institute is Romania’s independent think tank for digital transformation — launched in 2025, its board drawn from the country’s technology, banking and academic sectors, with the Digital Governance Summit among its first public platforms. Brandient created the brand: the Edge Institute case.