In the last post, we discussed the need for research before engaging in brand development. To refresh your memory, this research process can be uncomfortable and typically involves all of an organization’s stakeholders, so skipping over it can lead to some pretty serious issues. But what comes next? What do we do with that research? What was the point of it all?
Well, we will tell you and show you.
Caler&Company recently completed a new identity for Winer+Bevilacqua, Inc., a CPA firm specializing in tax and accounting, information technology services, retirement plan services and business valuation services. Prior to developing this client’s new identity, we sat down with the entire staff and asked them a variety of questions ranging from their background to where they felt the firm was headed. These interviews culminated in a revealing breakdown of staff perceptions and called for something bold, evocative and ultimately more marketable within the crowded CPA marketplace.
We took the results of that research and developed a powerfully strategic positioning statement — Nothing Less. These two words communicate an absolute promise to support clients and their financial needs, and also serves as the creative platform through which other messaging may be crafted. This positioning statement also led to the development of a new visual identity (i.e., the design solution) that comprised everything that the firm’s staff felt they needed to push ahead of their competitors, grow their relationships with current and potential clients and position the firm for future leadership. Check it out:
An intensely colorful logo employed quadrants of a plus sign that were arranged into four sections — representing the four partners, the four quarters of the fiscal year and the firm’s four service categories. The quadrants also formed a greater-than symbol that draws the eye upward on a right incline — similar to a chart showing financial gain.
The new identity uses Barmeno — a clean sans serif typeface that brought the firm into currency and consistency yet retained a sense of formality and credibility. A plus sign replaced the ampersand to emphasize that Winer+Bevilacqua pluses their clients’ organizations — along with the obvious connection to their industry. The positioning statement is also cemented into the logo to keep Winer+Bevilacqua’s promise always at the forefront.
Armed with new communications tools and a powerful identity supported by research, Winer+Bevilacqua is in a better position to challenge the financial industry’s typical — nay, stereotypical — design archetype and connect with customers in a more engaging way. This new identity also served as a call for change — both internally and externally, thereby bringing the staff on the same page with what Winer+Bevilacqua is, what it provides and why it matters.
And for Caler&Company, tackling these brand challenges armed with research results enables both deeper and broad-level understanding of our clients’ needs, which then opens the door for more meaningful and advantageous design solutions in their respective markets.
The C4:
- A design solution is something that addresses the needs of all stakeholders.
- Research is the first step toward meaningful design solutions.
- Design solutions must integrate the results of that research.
- Solutions must have meaning for all stakeholders (leadership, employees, customers, etc.).
