Creating a brand identity that fits with this young investment fund
Tasks: Brand strategy, Workshop facilitation, Creative direction, Brand identity design, Homepage redesign, Project management
Time: 6 weeks
Clients: The Hague Student Investment Fund (HSIF)
Project
Overview
The client requested a rebrand that would better connect with their youthful customer base consisting of student entrepreneurs, while still being suitable for the finance industry.
In a brand strategy workshop, we established key components like the brand's purpose, values, and personality. From this new strategy, I developed a fresh visual identity for the investment fund.
Outcome: I provided HSIF with brand guidelines, a logo suite, social media templates & a concept for an updated website design.
See the new brand in action on their website: hsif.nl
Quick
Links
Brand Exploration
How To Be Young And Credible?
Main Takeaways:
Competitor analysis canvas (click to expand)
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Youthful and Approachable: Each competitor adopts a similar tone, aiming to connect with their audience on a personal level
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Community Focus: Emulate the community-centric approach of all three competitors by highlighting HSIF's commitment to fostering collaboration and inclusivity within the student startup ecosystem
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Professional Design with Personal Touches: Create a welcoming and engaging visual identity for HSIF by incorporating clean and professional design structures, while adding personal touches such as images or bright colors
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Before our brand strategy workshop,
I conducted a competitor analysis (see on the right).
Given the distinct regional nature of each student investment fund, they do not directly compete with HSIF.
Nevertheless, this analysis gave me insights into best practices and inspiration for HSIF's messaging and visuals.
Brand Strategy Workshop Outline
On the right, you can see my approach to guiding HSIF in finding and communicating its brand. Below, are some examples of the workshop activities.
Workshop in action! All exercises were used as a basis to start talking about important brand element. Together we shaped HSIF's new direction.
Brand personality exercise - What do we want people to feel when they engage with our brand?
Example of the workshop slide deck - Defining a value proposition
Marketing manager Florian's moodboard
Creative Direction & Brand Strategy
Finance, Network, Guidance
After conducting the brand strategy workshop,
I developed a creative direction that embodied the organization's values and distinctive personality while maintaining a respectable appearance.
Creative Direction
Brand Personality
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Approachable
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Bold
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Enthusiastic
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Competent
Visual Translation
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Bold font to represent the bold "doer" energy of HSIF
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Circular shapes to convey connectedness
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Bright colors to reflect HSIF's enthusiastic youthfulness
Moodboard
Brand Strategy
Brand guidelines are essential for ensuring consistency and uniformity in how a brand is presented to the world.
Below you can find example pages of the guidelines for HSIf that clearly outline for example correct usage of colors, define the organization's tone of voice, and overall provide a clear framework to communicate the brand's identity effectively.
Visual Identity
Investment Funds Don't Have To Be Boring!
Let me present to you, the revamped HSIF:
Main Logo
Circle shape stands for community
Bold font with round edges
- bold but approachable
Gradient reflects the three business areas of HSIF:
finance, network & guidance
Handle on the stem of the "i" is supporting the dot, just like HSIF is supporting start-ups
Color Palette
Old color palette
New color palette
Application
Homepage Redesign
We Connect
Start Ups With...
As part of the project scope, I provided design advice on how to integrate the updated branding into the website design.
The primary objective of the website was to attract new potential employees to join the team.
You can find my suggestions and comments next to the homepage design below.
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From old (left side) to new (right). Cilck to expand
Navigation Bar:
Previous separate tabs "minor & electives" and "vacancies" led to the same page.
Therefore, change it to "jobs" and divide that page into sections for easier navigation.
Use real pictures of HSIF members. No more stock photos :)
Describe your three pillars here, and more importantly how they can help enable student entrepreneurs.
Use team pictures to be more approachable & communicate your company culture
Build credibility through testimonials from employees.
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Other than credits? What are potential employees to expect? Give some more information.
Add branded elements for extra flair/personality.
Use dynamic pictures that convey HSIF's young energy
Reflections
Looking back at this project, at first, the client was mainly interested in refreshing the visuals, not really thinking about the broader strategy.
But it turned out to be a chance for me to sharpen my communication skills.
I learned how to explain the value of brand strategy in a way that resonated with the client. By the end, they were glad we delved into aspects such as brand values and messaging, showing how crucial it is to align visuals with the overall strategy.
Think We Might Be A Good Fit?
I am open to part-time or full-time opportunities in
● Brand Strategy ● CX Strategy ● Market/User Research
● Product Mgmt ● Product Marketing, and more...
I would love to hear from you about your ideas or projects!
Don't like filling out forms? Mail me then:
Laura.Hopfenmueller22@gmail.com