Visual Identity System for Tech Investment Firm

Project Overview

Selected after a pitch process, Munch Studio was appointed by Lebanese tech investment firm Resource Group to assist with an ambitious rebranding project.

Following a name change, the investment group needed to redesign the company’s logo and develop a new identity system that could convey the brand’s personality and resonate with its audience of financial institutions, telecom operators, governments, and forward-thinking professionals.

Alongside the Resource Group brand, the firm had the need to reinvigorate the logos and visual identities of its legacy subsidiaries and refresh their implementation across all brand touch points, to bring visual continuity across the group’s full portfolio of brands.

Solution

In order to retain brand recognition and convey a sense of continuity after the name change, we explored how we could isolate elements of the previous branding and make them the starting point for an identity evolution.

THE WORDMARK LOGO

For the wordmark, we’ve incorporated the distinctive style of the letterform ‘R’ used in the old logo. The powerful simplicity of the new brand offers great flexibility of application and carries deeper intrinsic meanings. The wordmark displays bespoke letterforms that are positioned close together to encourage the flow of energy throughout the logotype, and emphasize the idea of synergy.

The new icon has retained the use of the chevron symbol from the old logo, re-proposed as a fluid mark. At a glance, the icon appears to be a corporate symbol, a visual representation of innovation, and a forward-thinking company. Looking closer, the grey and black dots incorporated in the icon conceal an encoded alphabet system, which spells out the words “Resource Group”. The encoded message is meant to be a hidden layer of the new identity.

This system enables the creation of an infinite series of varied yet connected logos used to identify the company’s subsidiaries with a lockup of the logo—each logo variation spelling the name of the subsidiary and adopting its brand colours. These subtle variations create a fluid mark which brings originality to the new visual identity while still fitting the corporate image the company wishes to portray

THE VISUAL IDENTITY

The typeface pairing selected for the corporate typography is a blend of classicism and industrial flair—a modern serif that is elegant but resembles a stencil style, and a sans-serif which has been modelled on a classic typeface, that is easy to read and highly recognisable—making it a perfect fit with the group’s long-standing experience and expertise, whilst also reflecting the desire to come across as a young, innovative company.

The new visual identity is centred around the client’s corporate values—print finishes and graphic elements included in signage and environmental graphics have all been influenced by the intention to encapsulate some of the key values that define Resource Group’s personality—e.g. the use of black-on-black blind spot UV on the business cards, and an art installation designed for the lobby area of their Beirut headquarters.

This is also demonstrated within the chosen colour palette. A bold monochrome palette reinforces the company’s position as a smart, established, technology leader. The black and white colour scheme has been leveraged to develop the identity system on two levels and differentiate internal communication material from external branded collateral. White is the dominant colour used in corporate presentations, print communications and other marketing material to portray an image of transparency—again emphasising on the company’s values. The colour black is used for branded items which are more personal to employees—such as business cards, pens, notebooks—to create a suite of sleek collateral that they will enjoy using. The intent is to instill a feeling of pride and a deeper sense of belonging, and support the group’s mission of creating a strong company culture.

Finally, the dotted pattern found in the fluid mark was used as a starting point to develop a suite of supporting graphics—creating a seamless visual identity system from logo to icons, identification signage, wayfinding, and other brand expressions.

Results

Resource Group launched the new identity internally in November 2018 and has been rolling it out throughout 2019. The launch applications included a teaser video series addressed to the employees in anticipation to the new brand launch and a basic suite of branded materials that were distributed to all employees in a tote bag as ‘starter kit’ after the internal brand launch event.

The team at Munch Studio was also tasked to implement the new visual language and create printed assets and branded collateral, including a full range of stationery and business materials; promotional items; identification signage; a wayfinding system and environmental graphics for their corporate headquarters.

The challenge for this assignment was to capture the company’s essence and develop a bold and sophisticated visual identity that is simple, flexible, and instantly recognisable, one that is business oriented, and a symbol of innovation, modern, and appealing to a corporate audience.

The challenge to the uplift of the subsidiary’s brands was to extend the visual identity of the investment group and design a network of sub-brands that originate from the master brand. The whole system of logotypes developed comes under a Resource Group logo umbrella, featuring custom letterforms and the fluid mark arrangement in a lockup that creates awareness about the connection between the holding group and its subsidiaries. Click here to learn more about this part of the assignment.

Throughout this assignment, we’ve been delighted to work closely with the client internal marketing team to craft a new visual identity system which reinforces the position of Resource Group as a modern, smart, and established technology leader.

The end-result is a complete rebranding package created to strike a balance between innovation and elegance—reflecting a confident identity and communicating solidity and strength.