Branding for IT business
Portfolio /
Nestled in the heart of Cluj-Napoca, there is a unique tech company known as Untitled.
Attracted and intrigued by their spirituality, mindset, and distinctive approach to work, we have embraced the challenge of completely reinventing their brand identity. After all, we were not simply collaborating with a run-off-the-mill tech company; it was an opportunity to embark on a journey with a tech company that had a twist.
So, what exactly is this twist? Untitled is built upon a self-management system, reminiscent of a teal organization or a flat organization. The concept was brilliantly theorized by Frederic Laloux, and we highly recommend his work if you are interested in reinventing organizations. You can find more information about him here: https://www.reinventingorganizations.com/
Roxana, Emilian, Crina, Alex, Istvan, Florina, Corina, Catalin, Tavi, and Andreea come together, blending their personal passions, dreams, and talents, to create a company dedicated to continuous growth and development. We were thrilled to join them on this remarkable journey.
The brief
Our objective was to build a brand that took into the consideration:
Previous affiliation with jpard: Untitled's team had established itself as a unique entity within the the jinnovate group companies;
We needed to reflect the unique specifics of a teal organization in the brand.
The brand should be aligned with the specific IT market environment in Cluj.
The branding primarily targeted Employer Branding purposes but could be extended to customers if necessary.
Close collaboration with team members: We worked closely with each team member to shape the brand's personality since every member participates in the decision-making process within the organization.
The brand should effortlessly resonate with an international audience.
We aimed to build a visually expansive and adaptable canvas that conveyed the limitless possibilities for Untitled's future growth and expansion.
The process
We started our process with one-on-one discussions, a traditional and valuable approach and then switched on to a moodboarding workshop to define the core essence of the brand. Through these steps, a vision for Untitled's identity began taking shape, leading us into the naming process.
During the initial stages, the name "Orbital" stood out as our favored and seemingly safe choice. We liked the metaphorical association of the tech company with celestial orbits. This name provided enough room for visual representation, and we explored several design options based on it. Alongside "Orbital," we had other strong options, yet somehow we encountered a creative block.
When faced with such a situation, we enter observation mode, seeking additional information. We attended one of their organizational culture training sessions, closely observing them in action. Then, like a sudden burst of inspiration, it struck us: 'Untitled.' This name represents a blank canvas for their future plans. Untitled is a continuous work in progress. Untitled symbolizes the courage of creating something different, something driven by honesty and transparency.
After deciding on the name, we started developing the visual identity. Initially, we attempted to adapt the moodboard created for "Orbital" to fit the concept of "Untitled." It didn’t worked as planned and we ended up with two versions for this brand, so we decided to present them both and let the client decide (with our recommendation, of course). Although we found both visual representations appealing, one emerged as our preferred choice.
In terms of the tagline, we aimed to capture the company's uniqueness in a concise yet impactful phrase, considering the unfamiliarity of their self-management system in the Romanian work culture. Thus, we arrived at the tagline: 'Untitled - a tech company with a twist.' This tagline serves as an explanation for what Untitled does: they are a tech company that challenges the status quo by their unique way of doing things.
The results
Having uncovered the essence of Untitled, it was time to materialize our ideas and craft a complete brand. Our aim was to establish such a powerful identity that every social media post, website element, badge, or poster would exclaim "Untitled."
During discussions about the color palette, it became evident that incorporating black, white, and shades of gray was essential. However, we wanted something more than that. However, this was not enough. We strived for a touch of uniqueness, something that will set “Untitled” apart from others. Thus, we took the daring step of introducing lime green—a shade that embodies courage and a willingness to approach things differently—as the final touch.
Regarding the visual territory, we chose to pursue an abstract representation of Untitled's twist, taking our exploration further:
Rest assured, we did not forget about the importance of the logo. Our mission was to align the logo with who Untitled strives to be. To achieve this, we opted for a clean and simple design, free from serifs or other decorations. This approach allowed us to create a blank canvas that could accommodate a daring visual territory.
Remember the tagline "A tech company with a twist"? Well, we ingeniously incorporated that very twist into the logo in such a subtle manner, visible only in specific contexts. In this way, we managed to mirror the elegance we seeked to cultivate in the brand.
However, our efforts did not stop at that point. We wanted to establish a comprehensive visual system that embodies the very spirit of Untitled, even in the absence of the logo. We sought to create a distinct approach to doing things the "Untitled" way. To accomplish this, we devsigned a linear path that undergoes a transformative twist, eventually becoming a series of vertical lines. These lines symbolize transformation, progress, and the courage to embrace a different path.
We have created a beautifully designed system that empowers the Untitled team to navigate effortlessly:
Website on Squarespace: extremely easy to use and add content;
Social Media layouts in Canva: eady to edit in their own rhythm;
PPT: a comprehensive system for their presentations, ensuring consistency and visual coherence.
Assets for various purposes (.png);
It's essential here to understand the idea that branding extends beyond a mere logo. It encompasses a full and complete system that one needs to develop across all communication channels and future endeavors.
What does „Untitled” say about this experience?
"All of us at Untitled are very grateful to Alexandra and Iulian for the work they did with us. We know the power of crafting a common story together and we chose their team because they promised us and were even excited about an immersive experience together alongside their many years of expertise in branding and design. The process went smoothly under the coordination and step by step guidance received from Alexandra. At each phase we knew what and when to expect and how she plans to deliver on the tasks.
Being newbies in the process of branding and brand communication she also made available her intro course to all of us and those who were interested could learn more thus increasing our internal capacity for communication as well. In a self-managed company all are brand ambassadors and communicators so we feel we received what was needed to be able to do that.
With Alexandra's direct way of approaching matters she challenged us along the way to speak up, give feedback and decide promptly in a safe environment where we felt heard and seen. She also felt safe to tell us when she did not feel confident or when her internal performing pressure voice was being too loud for our own sake. We were all real with each other (wholeness is one of our most important values). We hope that the good vibes that went into this process to resonate further and attract other people interested in building Untitled together."
Team
Client: Untitled;
Project & brand manager: Alexandra Crăciun;
Design: Iulian Tărnăuceanu;