bLoyal Brand Refresh

Keep the logo, change the look - A brand refresh maintains a visual connection to how the brand identity was seen before but the makeover is up-to-date and designed for today's audiences.

Comprehensive identity refresh and new brand messaging framework to bring a personal touch to the way bLoyal is perceived, and differentiate it from the competition.

Business

bLoyal is a fast-growing, B2B software company that delivers seamless omnichannel shopping experiences to help businesses attract, engage, and understand their customers.

Challenge

In 2016 the bLoyal brand identity had gone through multiple changes. A few designers had given that project a try, but it was never fully completed. bLoyal had a new logo, primary colors and typefaces, and a set of icons that were used to create the company website and to support marketing content. However, there were no specific rules to follow, thus none of the elements were used consistently and did not work well together to represent the brand.

The task I faced was to collect the existent pieces and combine them to create a refreshed, modern brand identity that sets a tone and defines the brand personality. I also had to set rules about how the company would present itself on various platforms such as social media, educational content, email, and when communicating with clients.

bLoyal had taken on a new mission to educate their clients about every aspect of customer loyalty and guide them on how to use all tools available to succeed. The marketing team was uncertain about how the brand would be represented there in an engaging way.

What challenged me the most was that I had to detour from my usual process of developing a brand from scratch. Instead, I had to take what has already been created and the brand is known for, and build on top.

Audience

Businesses or organizations of any size that want to onboard an omnichannel loyalty and rewards program to attract new customers, strategically promote their product, and gain deep understanding and analytics of how their customers shop.

Competition

Marketo – Marketo offers omnichannel marketing solutions. Their branding uses dark purple-gray gradient and a pop up color for accent. They use photography with emphasis on business, consumerism that is stripped down and straightforward. They come across as very serious and professional.

Annexcloud – Their branding leans towards a friendlier and welcoming feel. They use soft reds and pinks and spot illustrations to explain the functionality of their service. They photography shows a customer using a device or shopping for goods.

ReveMarketing - The Reve branding is very friendly and cute. They have a dog on their homepage and colorful icons. However, their branding doesn’t really relate to what they stand for and what they want to communicate to businesses.

Brand Direction

bLoyal has to stand out among their competitors. bLoyal wants to sell their software but also wants to educate and support their clients on how to use all tool to their advantage and be successful.

Brand Goals:

1. Appealing to businesses and coming across as serious and trustworthy.

2. Friendly and passionate to help their clients succeed.

3. Progressive and powerful.

Use of Illustrations in Branding

Illustration has become a very common way for brands to show their audience what they stand for, to offer a more delightful experience, and explain difficult ideas. Illustration contain more emotion and are more engaging to the viewer.

Left to right: Slack, Microsoft, Uber

bLoyal’s service is very complex and while being a great tool for businesses, sometimes the functionality and terminology are hard for clients to understand. A lot of the published content is educational blogs that explain a Customer Loyalty topic in depth, or an infographic that uses visual examples to explain terms such as omnichannel loyalty, KPIs, path to purchase, etc. Photography often can’t get the message across and cannot explain complex terms. Therefore, Illustrations would be a great way to enrich the brand language and make complex content more user friendly and more approachable.