BRAND STRATEGY / LOGO DESIGN / VOICE and tone / Messaging
Brand strategy and logo redesign for IvyMark
Challenge
After Houzz acquired IvyMark, a project management software for interior designers, Houzz decided to expand the software offering to other professionals, such as general contractors.
This called for all visuals, messaging, and strategy to shift in order to connect with its new audience and align with its new vision.
Research and Analysis
Stakeholder Interviews
I conducted individual interviews with IvyMark's stakeholders to better understand their motivations, vision, and target audience. Including the founders, marketing leads, and product designers.
Competitor Analysis
I conducted secondary research and analyzed the messaging, tone, and design of the brand's current and future competitors.
The findings include a clear differentiation between industries. Branding and messaging for interior design software tended to be feminine, detailed, and warm; and simple, clean, and masculine for general contractor software.
Ivy Audit
SWOT
Together with the IvyMark leaders, we did a SWOT analysis of the current branding to identify what's working (i.e. community and human approach) and what are some of the challenges we'd face (i.e. reputation and new industry).
Brand Analysis
The brand was tailored for interior designers by being feminine, detailed, and playful. However, if we wanted to expand into other industries that aren't female-dominated, the identity had to evolve.
Solution
Leverage and define the elements that have successfully connected with interior designers and develop a scalable visual identity to connect with future audiences.
Brand Strategy
I worked with the Ivy leads to create a comprehensive brand strategy that included:
- Brand Purpose
- Target Audience
- Value Proposition
- Brand Personality
- Messaging Framework
- Design Attributes
Messaging Framework
In collaboration with marketing, I developed the voice&tone guidelines and messaging framework to enable copywriters to develop cohesive and customized messages for the new audiences.
Logo Redesign
Based on the new branding strategy, the IvyMark logo was redesigned with an icon optimized for digital, a bright blue that compliments the Houzz green, and a bespoke wordmark inspired by the Houzz wordmark.
