Rebranding Bellese Technologies
Overview
- Project Type: User Research, UX/UI Design
- Industries: Technology, Software Development
- Date: 2021
- Role: UX Designer & Researcher.
- Responsibilities: Participated in the user research and communication needed to redefine the brand across multiple departments and touchpoints. Performed design work to create the assets and templates.
Project Summary
This initiative was started by a group of volunteers, primarily HCD employees across multiple contracts, who saw internal issues that needed to be addressed and had created some of their own materials to compensate. I, myself, had asked for branded materials or style guides when starting work at Bellese, but materials were often hard to find or outdated.
The team put together a general plan and roadmap which was posed to leadership. After approval, our team would meet at a regular cadence and review work we had taken on throughout the week.
Challenge
Content Auditing
Many materials were outdated or difficult to find, so we needed to conduct a thorough audit of existing brand materials to understand their current state.
Internal Research & Validation
We needed to validate the need to redefine brand elements, by understanding how the company's current ethos and brand position might have changed since its inception.
Design
We needed a comprehensive style guide and set of templates that could be easily accessed by all employees, across different mediums.
Testing
Our new elements needed to be easy to access and use, regardless of company role or medium. This involved rigorous testing and feedback loops to refine the materials.
Solution
Research
Goals
- Client-centric goals:
- Identify the unique aspects of Bellese’s services that clients perceive as indispensable, as well as the expectations they have from our ongoing innovations in health tech solutions.
- Determine the key attributes of Bellese that foster client trust and satisfaction, aiming to reinforce and elevate these in our branding narrative.
- Employee-focused goals:
- Pinpoint what motivates and inspires Bellese’s team members; what core company values resonate with them?
- Investigate the elements of Bellese’s work culture that employees are most proud of, and how these can be reflected to attract top talent and foster a positive work environment.
- Capture employee insights on the impact of their work, particularly in relation to user empowerment and delivering cutting-edge solutions within the civic health tech landscape.
Methods
- Stakeholder interviews: We engaged with key personnel and partners to gain insights into our organizational strengths and the expectations our clients placed upon us.
- Surveys & questionnaires: Quantitative data was collected company-wide to complement out qualitative insights.
- Competitive analysis: By examining our industry peers, we identified gaps and opportunities within the current market environment.
Insights
Innovation through Expertise
Bellese bridges gaps in healthcare with tech innovations that consider regulatory and policy contexts.
Human-Centered Design
Bellese’s empathy-driven design prioritizes user needs and experiences.
Agile Product Teams
Clients value our adaptable teams that stay ahead in civic health tech by responding swiftly to changes.
Strengths-Based Culture
Our focus on continuous learning and leveraging team strengths delivers superior results and empowers employees.
Authenticity & Empathy
Employees thrive on Bellese's authentic, honest, and empathetic culture, finding a sense of belonging.
Collaborative Success
Clients and employees appreciate the collaborative efforts of Bellese's cross-functional teams to achieve common goals.
Design
Creating the Brand Guidelines
Knowing that our team and those we spoke to felt strongly about Bellese's values, we wanted to ensure these values shined through in our new identity. Because of this, the first part of the guide focuses on our background, who we strive to be, how we stand out from the competition, and the principles that guide our work.
Logo Redesign
Not only was the old logo only available as a png and jpg, but it had an old and dated tagline that felt vague and didn't represent the thoughtful, holistic approach that our company embodied.
I created vectors of the logo, and provided versions for both landscape and square aspect ratios, transparent pngs for use on colored backgrounds, and smaller versions for email signatures. I made sure these were all organized and readily available via our company repository.
Brand colors
Previously our brand colors had been limited and inconsistent, leading to a variety of shades and inaccessible combinations that didn't represent the level of care we take toward inclusive design in our day-to-day work.
We stuck to the bright and calming color scheme, but added more shades and adjusted a few for color contrast.
Typography
Past branding used a variety of fonts for display, print material, and online use. Given that we were a fully remote company, it didn't make sense to have such a large variety of typography to work with. We pared it down to two fonts, the combination of which we felt represented a sense of modernity with a touch of humanism that was welcoming and approachable:
Templates
The most requested templates were those for text documents and slide decks that would be shared with or delivered to clients. Much of this work was already done, as I had created some basic templates for my own contract team during my tenure; I began to transition these templates into more formal document styles that could be shared across the company, and as a group we evaluated user feedback to determine what needed editing or adding. I also updated the fonts and colors to adhere to our newest brand guidelines.
Document Template Examples
Slide Template Examples
Results
Since its release, employees have created a plethora of knowledge-shares, presentations, and other communications both external and internal using our new components.
Enhanced Accessibility
Addressed previous inconsistencies and accessibility issues in brand colors by adopting inclusive design principles.
Unified Company Identity
Aligned the brand with the current company culture and values. Created a clear narrative and set of branding principles that communicate the unique aspects of Bellese's services, employee capabilities, and corporate ethos.
Effective Communication Tools
Developed and tested new templates for documents and slide decks, improving efficiency and consistency in client communications. Updated and organized branding assets, making them readily available to all employees through a centralized repository.
Employee Engagement
We engaged employees throughout the rebranding process, ensuring their voices and experiences shaped the new brand identity. This fostered a sense of ownership and pride among the staff by reflecting their motivations, strengths, and cultural contributions in the brand.
Reflections
- Adapting to Feedback: Continuous feedback loops were critical to our success. Rigorous testing and refinement based on real user feedback allowed us to create materials that were truly useful and accessible.
- Balancing Tradition and Innovation: We often reflected on how our design choices could honor Bellese's past while still embracing the future.
- Understanding Brand Perception: The deep dive into internal and external perceptions provided invaluable insights. Understanding how both employees and clients viewed the brand allowed us to address gaps and reinforce strengths effectively.
For the future...
While the rebranding project has laid a strong foundation, we considered it as an ongoing effort with living documents as deliverables. Future initiatives could focus on further refining the brand as the company grows and evolves, ensuring that the brand identity stays relevant and resonant.