IoD x London Business School
Assessing the expected impact of generative AI on the UK competitive landscape
This project involved the design and production of a joint policy paper by the Institute of Directors and London Business School examining how generative AI may shift competitive advantages across UK sectors. The challenge was to translate dense academic research and economic analysis into a clear, neutral, and accessible publication for senior business leaders and policymakers, balancing credibility with readability across a long-form, digital-first report.
This project was done by the London Business School in collaboration with the Institute of Directors, with the support of Evolution Ltd and funding from the UKRI Regional Innovation Fund and the London Business School Knowledge Exchange Fund.
My role
I was responsible for the full design and production of this digital-only report, working closely with the London Business School author and research team, the IoD policy team, and the policy director. The project was delivered to a tight publication timeline, requiring rapid translation of the final copy into a clear, publication-ready layout system.
The project required developing a visual approach that balanced the academic expectations of an external research partner with the IoD’s editorial-led publication identity, structuring complex, data-heavy content into a professional, accessible format while maintaining credibility for both academic and policy audiences.
Process & execution
Working within the IoD’s brand framework, I developed an initial layout system that translated the final research copy into a structured, editorial-led design suitable for long-form reading. An early draft was shared with internal teams and the London Business School research team for review.
During feedback, the academic partners highlighted that while the design quality was strong, the visual language leaned too heavily toward an editorial style. In response, I rapidly adjusted the approach—refining the layout to better align with academic expectations while retaining the clarity, hierarchy, and accessibility of the IoD’s publication style.
The final design struck a considered balance between institutional editorial polish and academic simplicity. Decorative imagery was reduced in favour of clearer structural cues, page layouts were simplified to support text-heavy sections, and charts, tables, and callouts were treated as functional navigation tools rather than visual embellishments. A restrained colour palette drawn from the IoD brand was carefully aligned with London Business School’s navy and red to create a cohesive partnership identity.
Following approval of the revised direction, the remaining production time was focused on copy refinement, accessibility checks, and final proofing ahead of publication.
