Growe: Creating the Visual Brand Identity
Challenge
In May 2023, I was challenged to create a visual identity and guidelines for Growe. This was an evolutionary step for the company, necessitating a rebranding to align with its new mission and values. The goal was to develop a modern brand identity that reflected the company’s character and conveyed its new meanings effectively to the audience.
Solution
From the first meeting with the company’s leadership, it was clear that there was already a vision and idea of what the brand should represent, along with the values and character it needed to convey. The internal team was actively working on shaping the mission and communication strategy.
I liked the name “Growe” and the powerful concepts that were to become the brand’s core: sustainable growth and a focus on people, symbolized by the concise “WE.” These two key images became the foundation of the entire concept and were a throughline in all stages of creating the visual identity.
An interesting fact: employees were involved at all stages of the rebranding, and the name was even chosen by a vote — a very cool approach.
The design aimed to portray the company as modern, adaptive, dynamic, and full of energy, ready for challenges, achieving ambitious goals, unlocking new opportunities, and driving the industry forward, combining expertise and global reach.
Process
1. Briefing
This is an important initial stage that should not be skipped. In our case, we had an online meeting to discuss all key aspects of the task: development stages, brand positioning, mission, values, emotions, and functions that needed to be embedded in the visual identity. Based on the meeting summary, a brief was formed.
2. Concept Development
This usually starts with some research — analyzing the target audience, market, seeking ideas, symbols, and selecting mood boards and references. Some designers prefer not to start with existing solutions and references to avoid limiting their imagination and to maximize creative thinking. However, there is always the risk that your idea might already be obvious, and that someone else might have used it before you. Therefore, all stages of research are important in my opinion — it’s crucial to know how to work correctly with materials and information, experiment, mix unexpected ideas, and synthesize something new and original filled with the necessary meanings and your vision. The most important thing to keep in mind is that identity is what conveys the brand’s essence, values, and unique character to the audience.
What are you about? What is important to you and why are you interested?
3. Logo
This is a very creative and responsible moment, sometimes requiring significant preparation and work, with many iterations. However, the most enjoyable part is finding the right form, style, and visual solution to bring the idea to life.
In the case of Growe, we decided that the logo should include verbal symbolism and possibly a graphical element to reinforce it. Given that the core of the brand was chosen as growth and sustainable development, the most fitting embodiment was the spiral symbol, representing evolution, constant progress, dynamic flow, and spatial and temporal expansion, all carrying many powerful meanings. The company’s focus on people as a core value was also to be symbolized by the “WE” part of the name. These two images needed to be combined.
Several typographic logo options were created, combining various pictographic and linear elements, abstract growth symbols, and graphical stylization of the letters “WE” as a separate sign. During the process, the idea emerged to combine them, emphasize the enlargement of the letters, and twist the spiral in the form of “WE” — a growing logo idea. Finding the balance between readability and clear conveyance of spiral dynamics was challenging, but I am delighted we didn’t stop at the first option and achieved the desired result.
The final step was the idea of merging the entire word into a single, unbroken symbol with a continuous line, symbolizing the continuous flow, path, and collaboration. Overall, the letters in the logo have a slightly playful and fairly simple character, reflecting the value of unconventional solutions, emotional uplift, and bold upward movement.
The abbreviation “WE” was also decided to be used as a brand symbol.
4. Working with Color
The next crucial step was selecting the color palette. There is extensive information on color theory, the psychology of color perception, and the association of colors with certain archetypes, often used in choosing a niche, positioning, and brand strategy. These should be known and considered. However, for me, the most significant aspect has always been working with associations — what color a concept, emotion, name, process, or industry is associated with. This makes it easy to choose the primary color. However, determining its shade, tone, brightness, and saturation is more challenging. These parameters can set your brand’s uniqueness and character. Then, you can return to theoretical knowledge and choose complementary harmonious colors that match the main concept and enhance it. This can rely on taste, trends, belonging to a certain design style, or local peculiarities, but never forget the character of the brand you aim to create and the emotions you want to evoke.
In our case, we aimed to form the image of a dynamic, modern company, conveying the spirit of development and progress, innovation, adaptability, powerful energy, cheerfulness, and optimism. That is why our brand’s primary color became neon green — a bright, powerful color of life force and the driving energy of growth and development. During the search and experiments, confident blue was the additional color, balancing the unrestrained energy with a calmer and more stable flow, conveying openness and confidence. Black was chosen to complete the palette and enhance the brightness of the neon colors, while white and silver were added as basic additional colors.
A little life hack: less is more when it comes to colors. Do not choose a palette of three or more bright colors unless you are sure they combine well and work as you intend.
5. Development of Graphic Style Components
The next step involved developing graphic elements and patterns. Here, the fundamental unit became the line. As mentioned earlier, it symbolizes the path, flow, and connection. The primary symbols were the spiral and “WE”, representing our journey of interaction and development. Therefore, the line transforms into a spiral, growing and strengthening. This idea became the basis for all stylistic elements and patterns, specifically the spiral dynamics and “WE” in various interpretations, including the golden ratio, geometric progression, growth, and increasing intensity. This principle can be used to create new elements in the future.
6. Forming the Visual Identity System
This stage involves the more practical but equally important work of refining and assembling all developed materials into a cohesive, beautiful, harmonious system. This includes selecting a font that matches the brand’s character and best conveys its main communication messages. It also involves finding compositional techniques, forming rules and approaches for creating different layouts for various media — social networks, printed materials, corporate stationery, business cards, merchandise, and other brand manifestations. Additionally, it includes creating a brand guide for the consistent use of the identity across all communication materials and platforms.
The Result
All clients and I were satisfied with the result, and I believe all the meanings were embodied and conveyed. The final concept was approved, and we began the process of implementation, including preparing all the necessary materials for the launch. After launching the new brand, we monitored feedback and audience reaction. There were very positive reviews from employees; they resonated more with the brand, the meanings, and the values embedded in the symbolism, which they share. I think this indicates that the identity works, and we succeeded.
