From Blue John to GREY: two brands, one bold vision
Reputation is one of the most valuable – and vulnerable – assets a business can hold. When Lorna Cobbett launched Blue John in 2024, it was with a clear mission: to help organisations and leaders protect, perfect and enhance their reputation through times of growth, change or challenge.
With a career spanning investment banking, strategic advisory and senior corporate roles at Citi and Goldman Sachs, Lorna brings a rare mix of commercial insight and calm under pressure. She founded BlueJohn as a reputation management consultancy built on clarity, connection and challenge – working with clients to create communication strategies that influence diverse stakeholder groups and stand up to public scrutiny.
Our role was to define the brand that would carry this vision forward. The name Blue John – referencing a rare British mineral – gave us the perfect starting point for a brand rooted in value, clarity and strength. We created an identity that’s confident but understated, professional yet personal.
One year on, Blue John is thriving – with clients on board, real traction in the market, and an expanding proposition. In early 2025, Lorna returned to us to develop her second brand:
GREY, a new HR tech platform to help companies avoid wrong hires and to understand the person beyond the CV. This was a fast-moving project, with an imminent attendance at a major Dubai event and a launch planned at the largest HR tech conference in Las Vegas. We needed to work quickly – and with an eye on the future.
GREY builds on the Blue John brand but is very much its own entity. We revisited the shapes and patterns established in the original design, but reworked them to support a more tech-forward, digital-first identity. We designed a new logotype, introduced an abstract image style, and most importantly, built out a dynamic, future-facing colour palette. The original blues and pinks remain at the core of the BlueJohn system, but we expanded into deeper, bolder shades – colours with presence, designed to work at pace and scale across screens, decks and events.
As part of the launch, we also developed presentation materials, social assets, and a flexible design system that will support future updates as the product evolves. With more growth ahead, we’re continuing to support Lorna as she builds out the GREY platform and prepares for funding and product development stages.
Lorna Cobbett, Founder, BlueJohn & GREY