In a category with low awareness and consumer misperceptions, Sungevity took the opportunity to define a new kind of offering: solar power accessible to everyone. However, they led with the functional benefits of their offering and didn’t connect consumers to the emotional benefits of sustainable energy.
We delved into their business model and defined and segmented their target audience, identifying each group’s motivations and hierarchy of needs. From this, we built a brand platform that shifted power to the people, and specifically homeowners. We also identified markets with the highest potential for conversions for their sales force. A fresh, welcoming brand identity helped successfully launch Sungevity’s novel approach within the solar category, where they enjoy continued growth as customer awareness increases.
U-Me offers a unique space where the whole family can play, learn, exercise, and socialize in a safe, comfortable environment. When they asked us to develop their identity as the leader in the emerging category of “family destination,” we knew that we would need to draw the attention of both parents and children. Our strategy focused on the brand’s promise of “fresh fun for the whole family,” connecting the ideas of social hub with family retreat.
To meet our design challenge, we balanced and blended fun with modern, minimalist with vibrant, and youthful with sophisticated. Letting “fresh” be the guiding concept, our color palette juxtaposes clean black and white with a pop of color. The logo’s letterform design is “big and squishy,” which, while child-friendly, is also refined. As an important “third space” tailored equally to the needs kids and parents, U-Me pioneers family togetherness in a fresh, fun new way.
Our client, BookRenter, had established themselves as a leading college textbook rental service. But with the migration of course content from the printed page to digital media, they knew they were ready to expand their focus and offerings. To reinvent their brand, we conducted key stakeholder interviews to gain a clear understanding of their vision: to be the preferred suite of cloud-based software helping schools revolutionize the adoption, supply, and distribution of course materials.
Our insights yielded a brand platform and provided the inspiration for their new name, Rafter—a metaphor for the new “head space” they would occupy, as well as their role as a supportive technology platform. A bold “R” topped with a beam further evokes their mission, and the brand’s visual system reflects the cutting-edge, dynamic nature of the company.
