Making data stand out
A brand is not made by what you say, it’s how you show up. This is Posit.
The Posit Rebrand and New Creative Direction
The first meeting for this project was with the CEO, President and CMO of RStudio, a company I knew very little about and they knew everything about. We had our challenge–rebrand the company in 10 months. Challenge accepted.
Dream big
We when sought out to rebrand the former company, RStudio, we needed an overhaul: a new name, a developed brand voice, and an entirely new creative direction that would take the company into the next decades. We had to balance the humbleness of the company as a Public Benefit Corporation while growing the new brand to find a larger market presence.
There are a lot of copy cat strategies in the tech space. Posit needed to feel different – human, bespoke and worthy of a company mission that proudly touted the ethos: for data scientists by data scientists.
Every ounce of the new brand needed to have a purpose. No window dressing. No fluff. We had to connect with customers on a personal level. So we blazed a trail of staying true to the mission, but not without dreaming big.
Make a connection
At launch, Posit needed a face. And no better a hero than Chief Scientist Hadley Wickham who is a beloved figure in the data science community. Our message: we’re embracing more of the community, but not leaving anyone behind. Video was the perfect vehicle for this strategic positioning.
Elements are everything
At the foundation of our new brand guidelines were simple but recognizable elements that would bleed through all of our new brand and marketing materials. The consistent usage of these elements would signify a highly-intentional shift in brand direction.
Open Source software is at the heart of Posit and it needed to be at the heart of how we showed up in market. We were able to use these brand elements to create moments–recognizable moments of a brand with intention.
Take them on a journey
Trying to create a bespoke software brand isn’t easy. What would be easy is to be the tech-iest brand out there. But that lacks the humanity we were going for. So what could stand out in this space? How about custom illustration that tells a narrative story?
I brought on an in-house illustrator to build out a library of illustrations that would show up across web, social and animated video. What we built was a beautiful, versatile and unique visual style that set us apart.
Humanize your brand
We were intentional about putting face to name. In the case of this video we wanted customers to see and hear from the people that worked at Posit. People that loved the company for its vision and mission.
Oh, and what a great way to attract talent.
Be the expert
The genius minds in software often spend their days behind the screen of a laptop. Makes sense, that’s where the magic happens.
But what a better opportunity to build on a new brand than to have the CTO of the company get in front of a camera and tell stories about how the magic happens.
“We want to build a company that is around in 100 years time that continues to have a positive impact on science and technical communication. We’ve only just started along this road.”
— JJ Allaire, Posit CEO