Confusion Around Multiple Brands

As the firm had grown to create more offerings, the supporting business units started feeling more like separate entities rather than a collective of solutions. Internally and externally, there needed to be more clarity around DesignIntelligence as the core brand, and how all the service offerings (i.e., their business units) were interconnected. They were wrestling with being a “branded house” or a “house of brands”, and were living in the middle, creating confusion in the minds of their audience.

Lack of Offering Awareness

DesignIntelligence’s value was primarily known through the legacy of the Design Futures Council (DFC)—one of their business units. Despite the many ways they could create value for their potential and current clients through their other offerings, many had little awareness of the full extent to which the firm could help them.

Disconnect Between their Current Image and their Desired State

DesignIntelligence’s leadership was rethinking their business model and what their future would look like. They knew their brand didn’t accurately represent their current identity, let alone where they wanted to take the organization in the future.

Our primary charge was to bring clarity and pave the way for the next evolution of the DesignIntelligence brand as they were going through a profound transformation. We sought to establish a robust brand vision and conceptual design to serve as the cornerstone for their future messaging and visual identity as the reimagined DI unfolded.  

Actionable Objectives

Audit Current State

Create Initial Concepts for Future Brand Identity

Deliver a Holistic Brand Vision

Provide Insights to Create Synergy Between Offerings

We employed a range of strategies to help DesignIntelligence overcome their brand challenges. Our solutions aimed to create brand clarity and establish a strong foundation for future growth. 

COMPLETE DI IMMERSION

Holding a longstanding relationship with DI’s leadership, we understood the complexity and rich history within the organization but knew we needed to come in without assumptions to get an accurate picture of the firm's legacy and future. Our team worked closely with key leadership across all business units to gain a deeper understanding of the organization's purpose and how it had shifted over time, what value their clients received from them on a macro and micro level, and their long-term vision. We also attended DFC events and observed their team servicing their clients so we could experience firsthand what it’s like working with DI and receive direct feedback.

CURRENT STATE ANALYSIS

The DI brand went through many iterations over the years and had many moving parts. To ensure the success of this effort and evaluate what was working and what wasn’t, we took a deep dive into all their previous brand efforts and audited their entire online presence. This enabled our team to make informed decisions and recommendations to DI’s leadership. 

CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO

Leaning into our findings, we offered renewed perspectives to the DI team, empowering them to see themselves through an external lens. This approach aimed to break through legacy thinking and encourage a more objective view of their brand, inspiring new ideas as they planned for the organization’s next chapter.

SEGMENTING AUDIENCES

Our team segmented DI's different audiences and identified where each business unit had a cross-over or unique client base. This segmentation created a web of potential entry points and cross-promotional opportunities for different audiences, allowing for deeper market penetration. 

Our first measure of success starts with resonance. Does this look, sound, and feel like DI? When presented with the final brand visioning materials, it was clear that the work they saw successfully embodied the essence of their brand. 

Through our collaborative efforts, DI received: 

RENEWED UNDERSTANDING OF CURRENT STATE

While DI already had a general idea of their current brand perception, our analysis gave them a more articulate and comprehensive understanding of the success of their brand efforts. Their team is now equipped to make more informed decisions about their future initiatives. 

CLEAR AND COHESIVE BRAND VISION

Closely working with DI leadership, we established a clear and cohesive brand vision that captured the spirit of their vision, values, and purpose and created synergy across all business units. These adaptable design and messaging concepts will enable the DI team to further establish the visual and messaging identity of the firm as they develop and deploy their strategic plan.

INSIGHTS FOR GREATER MARKET PENETRATION

We offered powerful insights to help DI create a cross-promotion strategy that would drive greater awareness of all the value current and potential clients have access to. These insights included suggestions for website(s), social media, live events, and many other marketing communication efforts.