02/04/2016

Taking A Startup Digital: A Brand Analysis of Axis AV

By James Kwon

At Figmints, we work with a range of clients from startup companies to large corporations and, if we’re lucky, we get to work on all aspects of their brand refurbishment from naming to branding to web.

One of our latest projects was “Axis AV,” but that wasn’t always its name. A young, full-scale event-tech production company, previously known as “Orbital Events”, came to us looking for a complete overhaul. The company worked on some major events but their brand and digital presence weren’t as strong as the services they offered.

When the founder and owner told us he wanted to change the name, we really had a blank slate –no name, no logo or brand, and no web presence. Our team was excited to do what we do best, and develop some exciting branding and identity for the company. Here’s our brand analysis of Axis AV.

Our initial challenge wasn’t an easy one as we had to come up with a name that represented the company’s values and experience, while also becoming a framework for the brand that was to come.

The naming started with the discovery and development of three pillars that would really represent the brand. After multiple discussions with the founder, and reviewing a detailed questionnaire we had the company fill out, we were able to hone in on a few key themes.

The company was all about quality service that relieved clients, bringing expertise to the table as professionals and specialists, and using technology to create an optimized audio-visual experience.

After suggesting a list of numerous names built around these pillars, we started crafting a story that focused on “the hinge, center point, fulcrum, where multiple elements come together in perfect harmony.” The client agreed and the name “Axis AV” was born.

Armed with a new name, it was time to develop a brand around this newfound identity. As the company focused on making the events as easy and seamless as possible for the coordinators, we wanted to go with a logo that was sleek, clean and crisp. The name itself was smooth and after several rounds of sketches, the design team decided the “x” in the name leant itself to the development of a unique brand mark.

We developed an extended “x” that added some flair to the wordmark, and proved to be something we could extract from the name and use in other elements of the brand as well. We topped it off with a simple, sleek color palette and introduced some unique typefaces to round off the brand.

Now it was time to apply the new identity to some assets and documents. We created a simple, effective business card that could add a unique look when printed on different materials, and brought the “x” to life in the letterhead and business documents. The large “x” added depth to these pages as a brand element, and added some cohesion across the brand.

While the scope of the project was limited, we wanted to bring the brand to life by getting it on the web. We took content from the client and paired it with the new Axis AV identity to create a one page scrolling website to take the company to the web for the first time as a great way to kickoff 2016.

This was a great project to take from start to finish and the Figmints team truly enjoyed working with such a great client in an interesting space. We look forward to watching Axis AV grow this year and can’t wait to see what they do with the new brand!

CONTACT US