MindLab: Behavioural Insights Unit
Designing an identity for Pakistan’s first Behavioural Insights Unit
MindLab needed an identity that could sit naturally within government while establishing a distinct visual language. The design process began with a broad exploration of forms associated with cognition, behavioural patterns, systems and experimentation.
The process began with various identity directions, testing different ways of representing the mind, from brains and human profiles to fingerprints, pathways, modular structures and abstract patterns.
The selected direction moved away from a literal representation of the brain towards a more abstract geometric form: part maze, part modular structure.
Its interconnecting pathways reference the complexity of human decision-making while giving MindLab a distinctive and contemporary visual signature.
The palette was deliberately rooted in its institutional context. Government green creates continuity with the visual identity of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while yellow connects the unit to the wider SEED programme under which it was established.
HEX: #FAB700
Drawn from the SEED programme identity, yellow brings energy and optimism to the palette while visually connecting MindLab to the programme through which it was established.
HEX: #006A30
Rooted in the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s visual identity, green gives the identity an institutional grounding while creating a strong and recognisable primary colour.
HEX: #1D1E1C
Used as a neutral anchor, black adds contrast and structure to the brighter palette, strengthening typographic hierarchy and improving clarity across applications.
The final identity was developed to remain recognisable across different backgrounds and formats, with full-colour, single-colour and reversed versions. The geometric symbol also provides a graphic device that can extend beyond the logo into the wider visual language of MindLab.
Designing the MindLab space
Colour-coded pathways, directional graphics and carefully placed prompts were designed to make navigation intuitive while demonstrating how subtle visual cues can influence behaviour.
The visual identity was extended into the physical environment, transforming the lab and its surrounding corridors into an expression of behavioural design.
Inside the lab, modular workstations, an interactive kiosk, three-dimensional iconography and adaptable project displays created a flexible space for research and collaboration. The geometric language and green-yellow palette established through the identity were carried across signage, murals, lighting and environmental graphics, connecting every touchpoint to the wider MindLab brand.
A space built around nudges
Behavioural principles were embedded throughout the visitor journey, from motivational prompts on the stairs and a continuous wayfinding path to a maze-inspired mural and changeable displays documenting the lab’s work.
The space became both a working environment and a physical demonstration of MindLab’s approach.
A brand built to engage
The MindLab identity was designed to work across digital and physical touchpoints.
A flexible content system brought consistency to social media, webinars, policy briefs and external communications, using bold typography, a distinctive geometric language and the green-and-yellow palette to make behavioural insights clear, engaging and accessible.
Beyond the screen
The identity also extended into notebooks, stationery, pins and training certificates, creating tangible moments of participation and recognition. From a social post to a completed training programme, every interaction was designed to feel distinctly MindLab.
