Immediately begins a brand new chapter for the Assist Scout model as we proudly unveil a brand new web site and refreshed model id. Issues could look a little bit totally different, however we’re nonetheless the identical firm dedicated to empowering companies to thrill extra prospects.
The final time we up to date our model was nearly 5 years in the past, in early 2019. We launched a visible id that relied closely on hand-drawn illustration. On the time, this strategy was an anomaly in SaaS — a differentiator that celebrated our heat and helpfulness and accentuated the people-first, handcrafted strategy to our product. For years, this artistic course served us effectively. It endeared us to many and cemented us as an organization the place design is valued. In time, nevertheless, counting on bespoke illustration started to stymie our creativity and made it troublesome for our model and advertising and marketing groups to maneuver rapidly.
Outgrowing a model is painful
Our visible id had grow to be so core to who we have been and the way we communicated that it appeared not possible to maneuver in a special course. On the identical time, we knew that our model had began to distract folks from who we actually are: a bunch of product-loving, craft-focused people who find themselves devoted to buyer delight. We’d been perceived as too earnest, our credibility had been questioned, and we have been also known as underdogs.
Regardless of our discomfort, we knew we would have liked to shed these misconceptions and evolve our model in a means that allowed us to be us, simply with extra room to develop. We wished our model to replicate the simplicity and energy of our product whereas emphasizing our perception that human interplay is on the core of robust buyer experiences. We additionally wanted to be bolder and extra opinionated in an effort to stand out in a aggressive market.
So our in-house group launched into a year-long journey to recreate and reintroduce ourselves with extra polish, cohesion, and confidence.
Fortifying our model basis
Earlier than we may dig into the outward features of the model, it was essential for us to be on the identical web page about who we’re as a corporation — and who we wish to be. We began by re-aligning on our model’s basis: our imaginative and prescient, mission, and values. All of us agreed that our core beliefs nonetheless held true, however we would have liked to do a greater job of articulating them, each internally and externally. Though our mission and firm values had been well-defined for years, we’d by no means written a imaginative and prescient assertion — the unifying declaration that encapsulates why we do the work we do.
So we distilled our core beliefs into one highly effective imaginative and prescient for us all to work towards: A world the place companies deal with prospects like folks. We refined our mission ever so barely, and whereas our values remained the identical at their core, we rewrote them to be extra clear and actionable. These efforts saved the group aligned as we up to date our model messaging and set to work constructing our new visible model.
A recent tackle a longtime model
Geared up with a robust basis, our artistic director, Matt Performs, led the event of Assist Scout’s new visible id. For months, a five-person model evolution crew that spanned model and product design groups met recurrently to debate the extent of change we should always usher in and the way we’d set that change in movement. We wished to create an id that we wouldn’t outgrow too rapidly, which meant we’d must be snug rising into it a little bit — and we’d want sufficient instruments to maintain issues recent for some time. We debated fonts, shared sizzling takes, and had a number of esoteric conversations concerning the which means of fine design.
Finally, we established the steering round these parts of our visible id:
Brand and wordmark
To take care of and perpetuate our model fairness, we opted for minor enhancements. We recolored and rebuilt the mark — adjusting spacing and proportions to make sure it would scale from cellular to billboards. The visible weight of the mark and logotype at the moment are equal within the wordmark and its font is now extra timeless.
Typography
Daring typography brings our messaging to life and compounds the influence of our visuals. Our sort stack now consists of expressive headlines and specialised faces for show, blockquotes, and extra. This provides emphasis to the copy, making it simpler — and extra essential — to make a press release.
Colour
Our new default shade is Cobalt, a richer and bolder blue. We moved from a restricted pastel palette to 1 that features shades for colours throughout the spectrum. Though we’ve launched a wider array of colours, our strategy to utilizing them has grow to be extra restrained. Most surfaces are a light-weight, ethereal white or clay, permitting the opposite, bolder colours to attract consideration and focus.
Graphic parts
We determined to fully abandon illustrations. It was a tough resolution, but it surely was time. Of their absence, we needed to establish one other option to create dynamic and interesting pages. We now leverage daring shapes, gradients, drop shadows, and linework that evoke a way of simplicity and polish. We additionally lean into images and collage which we hope will assist folks see themselves within the product. Enjoyable reality: The entire smiling faces you see as avatars are actual Assist Scout staff!
Constructing a product-led model
As a product-led firm, product worth is what makes us profitable as a enterprise. Our model ought to be in assist of the product, not in battle. Over time, the model and product visuals grew aside, creating two very distinct experiences: The location was summary and playful whereas the product was minimalist and direct. Our new id creates true cohesion between the shopping for and product experiences. For the primary time ever, our website visuals are primarily high-fidelity product visuals. The up to date shade palette and typography carry into the product, and we’ve constructed shared libraries for ongoing collaboration throughout the model and product design groups.
We’ve additionally adopted new storytelling rules to make sure that our web site facilities our product and makes it straightforward for folks to see and perceive what they’re getting with the Assist Scout platform. We diminished the quantity of copy on every web page, amped up the visible storytelling, and introduced in additional knowledge. Our aim with this strategy is to assist of us get to know us and to make the transition from purchaser to buyer extra seamless.
The evolution continues
Our new model is constructed for scale, however that doesn’t imply it gained’t change once more. We’re motivated to defy expectations and preserve iterating. In any case, one of the best manufacturers are like nice gardens — tended to rigorously, pruned with intention, and, when crucial, leveled to start anew.
