EY Innovation team identity
OVERVIEW
EY Ireland’s ‘Innovation team’ wanted a new visual identity that reflected their team’s goals and objectives. Their old identity was out of date, unimaginative, and didn’t align with their values.
The team’s purpose is to transform the business, through improved organisation, processes and automation. They promote innovation, technology adoption, and inspire others to think with a growth mindset. They found engagement levels with the team were low, and wanted to reignite motivation with employees to champion innovation and technology.
The Innovation Team needed an identity that not only fit within EY’s brand guidelines, but one that could be easily applied to a wide range of materials across print and digital.
RESEARCH AND DESIGN DIRECTION
Through a hands-on brainstorming session, I was able collaborate with the team to identify their key pain points, aims for the future and potential visual themes.
Their old identity wasn’t fit for purpose; it was dark, didn’t feel relatable, and the image had been used across other initiatives and campaigns around the same time.
After learning more about the team, it was clear they needed to showcase themselves as drivers of innovation. They needed to identifiable, approachable, but most of all, inspiring to others. Their passion for curiosity shone in conversation, but it was lacking in how they presented themselves.
One unforeseen challenge from the brainstorming session was the team’s need to be as self-sufficient as possible. They wanted to be able to update their own materials in the future outside of design software packages.
CONCEPT
The visual identity is founded on curiosity. Like the team’s passion for knowledge, the people-focused photography reflects imagination, curiosity, transformation and intrigue. A curated image bank was created, showcasing people in moments of learning, exploring ideas, working together, asking questions or embracing technology.
A bespoke wordmark was also created. This unique identifier for their materials acted as a signpost for the team, while staying in balance with EY’s pre-existing brand assets.
RESULT
We implemented a soft-launch technique; rather than launching the team’s new identity, we increased the promotion of their upcoming events and workshops. We launched a quarterly e-newsletter, took over office noticeboards with large posters and gave team-members branded notebooks and lanyards to take to meetings. Most importantly, the team noticed their engagement levels increasing. They received more people signing up for their workshops or learning sessions advertised in their newsletter. People started to notice the Innovation Team, their purpose, and the services they offered.
Alongside the bespoke visual identity for the team, I created user-friendly templates in PowerPoint and Outlook for their materials, and a visual direction brand-book they could continue to reference, ensuring the longevity of their new visual identity.
