How We Developed Our New Brand ID
Things look a little bit different at NAVADA.
At the turn of the year we decided that it was time for a refresh. A facelift. A new wardrobe. Call it whatever you want. Our old branding had served us well, but it was time for a new start.
The old us…
Branding is fluid. As a business or an organisation grows, when it changes direction or if it begins to move into new markets, they sometimes outgrow their existing identity. Just like a child grows out of their clothes.
As we approach the grand old age of five, we felt as if we had grown up. It was time for a new identity that would reflect our growth and help NAVADA move onto the next level.
In business it’s easy to forget how you and your brand can appear to others. Before we began this rebranding exercise we took a long, hard look at ourselves in the mirror. How did we feel when we looked at our existing identity? What are our attributes as a business? Where did we want to go?
At this point we identified four things we wanted our new look to convey:
• We wanted to appear more ‘grown up’
• We wanted something simpler
• Demonstrate how dynamic we are as a business
• Look edgy but approachable
Time for a change
To start, we explored the letterforms of our name versus how can we evolve our existing ‘N’ shape.
The old ‘N’ was made out of 3 colour gradients to represent the three distinct strands within our business — Agency / Motion / Futures. As we have grown, the essence of these still form the central principles of what we do but as the digital landscape has developed have become even more intertwined.
We felt it was important to retain these three visual elements, but wanted to make sure that they were packaged in a modern way in a new unified ‘N’ mark.
People have their favourite colours, which means settling on a new scheme for your own brand can not only be a tricky decision, but a very personal one too.
As well as preference, there’s also a science behind brand colours. For example, did you know that blue is seen as a safe, solid, reliable colour. That’s why a lot of financial organisation use hues of blue (don’t worry, we’ll wait while you Google the name of your bank…)
We used this thinking when deciding on the final colour combination.
Purple is seen as suggesting creativity with confidence, while teal from the opposing third of the colour spectrum helps demonstrate an essence of dependability and strength.
Purple with shades of green. It’s a classic combination. As Wendy, our resident tennis expert pointed out: “If it’s good enough for Wimbledon…”
Of course, a brand is more than just a logo…
In addition to the two colours on the logo, a hit of lime will form a core part of our overall new look to bring a sense of energy and vibrance to the brand.
From our proposal decks to the branded materials we produce, to our showreel and our online content, this new brand encapsulates the ethos and the identity of NAVADA.
To celebrate this new look, we might even get ourselves some branded mugs!
