Appleby Global brand refresh

BRIEF

Following our successful redesign of the Offshore-i campaign – a strategic bi-annual review of global M&A activity – Infinite Global was invited to pitch to refresh the Appleby brand identity.

With a desire to restate its proposition and values to the international market without the disruption of an unnecessary full rebrand, Appleby asked us to concentrate on two principal components, imagery and colour, to help convey a more premium, contemporary, and technical confidence for the firm.

Appleby set an ambitious target of having a fully functioning website, in the new identity, ready within three months. To achieve this, we needed to collaborate effectively with both the internal team and the incumbent digital agency, often operating in parallel to develop design work while the website was being constructed.

APPROACH

We already had strong relationships in place with Appleby’s communications team, but had a limited knowledge of the decision making behind the firm’s brand. Our first goal therefore was to understand more about the firm’s propositions and values; to hone-in on which ones Appleby could claim as unique.

Once we identified and agreed the brand values, we gathered a large number of visual references in support of the values, and in discussion with a group of senior partners, agreed a direction for brand development. It was also during this phase that it became obvious that in order to provide a visual identity that would deliver the level of distinction that Appleby wanted, we would need to provide a more comprehensive and coherent identity system. To that end, we proposed unique elements of visual language, including shape, pattern and photographic treatment. In addition, we revised the existing approach to typography and data visualisation.

OUTCOME

The website was launched on time and within budget. Further work on updating the visual identity guidelines has also been completed, along with detailed design and technical guidance provided for key communications formats across business development, marketing, and operations, both on and offline. This has been successfully handed over to the internal brand manager as a package of materials, with an accompanying training session to explain the theory and practicalities of delivering the identity across all of the firm’s materials.

Although only recently launched, the brand has already influenced major marketing initiatives such as the Appleby exhibition experience for Collision201 and the global tech conference in Toronto. It continues to receive a positive reception from staff and clients alike.