RedPeak ReBranded
It’s always an interesting / frustrating / satisfying challenge to design and write for yourselves. But after much wailing and gnashing of teeth we are proud to launch our new positioning, logo and visual system. For those interested in such things, here’s the story of each element…
Positioning
We believe in the idea that we’re living in an economy built on expectations. Essentially, that means an amazing experience with one thing, changes our expectations of everything else. Think about it, after Amazon how much more annoying is it to stand in line at a store?
This cross-pollination of expectation is amplified by search and social media offering research and recommendations for EVERYTHING before we ever try or buy.
This is why brands have to be ready to build value in every appearance and interaction. They have to discover and design for every moment that matters.
Brands must build an unbreakable bond. One that can last through rising expectations, shrinking loyalties, and evolving technologies.
Our process is built on the art and science of creating that bond — by looking at the head and heart, we learn what bring brands and people together.
In practical terms, we’re focused on the point of intersection between our clients and their customers. That’s where the bond is formed, that’s where we focus our efforts, and that’s what became the graphic inspiration for our new logo and visual system.
The Symbol
The “Peak” is the representation for the bonds we help create. As such, it’s the only graphic element in the system. As well as representing the lettering and meaning behind our name, it’s used as a canvas for exploration and iteration. (see bottom of article.)
Logo
The Peak + our wordmark. The letters are based on Active Grotesque and modified to raise the x-height, condense the letterforms and reduce the tracking. The goal was a compact and balanced lock-up.
Color
We don’t have a single brand color. We wanted to achieve consistency through variety. An unrestrained, unlimited application of solid colors and gradients helps reflect our diversity of people and projects.
To support our Brands that Bond positioning, color is used in presentations to connect with the audience we’re speaking to. We have the flexibility to embrace their sensibility and passions.
Also, everyone at the gets to choose a unique color to represent them in communications like email and business cards and hopefully mugs. People can choose from an existing set of 50 colors, or make their own.
Typography
We chose Graphik because we felt the solid geometric letter forms would pair well with the “Peak” symbol, it has tons of weights and styles, and also because one of our designers really, really liked it.
People
We wanted a simple, natural and designed to be easily done in-house. We used a crushingly expensive 85mm lens for a shallow focal length and separate the subject from the background. A soft key light on the right of creates nice contours on the face.
Each portrait is chosen with the whole company in mind — we want a diversity of poses and expressions. The main goal is to have everyone come across as approachable, confident even if they happen to be insecure and stand-offish.
Potpourri
The vibrant system of colors, fonts and playful graphics are spread across a huge spectrum of communications. Enjoy…
