Branding Brief
Year: 2018-2023 Under Employment: 427 Design (*marked) & Freelance Deliverables: Brand Assets + Guidelines
Challenge
Smithers is a global testing and intelligence corporation with eight distinct divisions. Previously, each of these divisions functioned individually, with their own spin on the brand. This resulted in many different versions of the logo, multiple company social media pages, and little consistency between divisions. In early 2018, Smithers made the decision to unite all of the divisions under one cohesive brand.
Smithers originally contracted a design firm in New York to complete this work, but upon receiving their updated materials they realized that much of it was unsuitable for use across all divisions and that the templates were not adaptable for various content types.
my role
My role with Smithers included troubleshooting the immediate issues with the materials provided by the firm in New York,* and later refining the brand and writing and publishing an in-depth set of brand guidelines.
Throughout the process, I worked closely with Smithers leadership to ensure that recommendations aligned with the organization's broader business objectives while also addressing the unique needs of its individual divisions.
I also helped develop a phased implementation strategy for the updated brand. Because several divisions had already invested significant time and resources in transitioning to materials created by the New York firm, an immediate company-wide rollout was not practical. Instead, we established an adoption plan that balanced brand consistency with the operational and financial realities of each division.
Approach
I began by reviewing the materials developed by the New York design firm and meeting with the Smithers team to identify which elements should be retained and which needed refinement. Through these discussions, we uncovered several core issues:
The core color palette was too limited, and the extended palette lacked cohesion.
I removed the clashing accent colors (including aqua, coffee brown, army green, and wine red) and replaced them with additional shades of blue to create a more cohesive system.
I removed the clashing accent colors (including aqua, coffee brown, army green, and wine red) and replaced them with additional shades of blue to create a more cohesive system.
The "wave" graphic was applied inconsistently and was difficult to use.
I redesigned the wave into a more versatile element, providing layout variations and clear application guidelines.
I redesigned the wave into a more versatile element, providing layout variations and clear application guidelines.
The existing templates were rigid and could not accommodate different types or volumes of content.
I rebuilt the templates as a flexible, grid-based system with standardized headers, footers, and rules for typography and color-block usage.
I rebuilt the templates as a flexible, grid-based system with standardized headers, footers, and rules for typography and color-block usage.
As the divisions began implementing the refined brand, Smithers recognized the need for formal brand guidelines. Having helped shape the brand over several years, I partnered with Smithers' marketing leadership to develop the structure and write much of the content for a comprehensive brand standards document.
Result
The refined brand system provided Smithers with a flexible, scalable foundation that could be adopted across its many divisions without disrupting ongoing operations.
The implementation strategy allowed for a relatively easy transition for the divisions, pushing brand consistency while protecting prior investments.
The resulting brand guidelines, first published in 2023, established a single source of truth, giving internal teams and external partners the tools to produce cohesive, on-brand communications across the organization.