SEO is dead.
Long live UFO.
Client: REBAR
Industry: Digital Martketing
Assignment: Rename & Rebrand
Goal: Go boldly where no other SEO specialists have gone before.
REBAR is flipping the SEO community on its head. It has become so commonplace to optimize websites so that search engines prefer them, that no one thought to check in with the end users of those websites. What do they want to read? How can we be of service to them? Simple stuff in hindsight. But REBAR is the first to trademark their UFO approach: user focused optimisation.
The assignment
REBAR tasked us with producing a new name, and design a full rebrand. The assignment was to stand out. To be radical in the SEO and digital marketing services field. They intended to shake things up.
The name
Born out of a more traditional school of thought, the company originated as SEO Boosters. Descriptive, clear, and undoubtedly good SEO practice to name yourself that. But as they were moving away of solely dancing to the algorithms whims, the name became obsolete.
In a name generation journey we considered many routes, and landed on REBAR. It’s strong, solid, foundational. It’s short and memorable. A name type that stands out amongst competitors. And it tells you that they are resetting the bar. For themselves, for their customers and for what it means to optimize a website.
The wordmark & logo
The wordmark is made up of low stretched capitals, reflecting the solid foundation that they provide for their clients to build upon. The logo is a subtle nod to them being able to lift the veil for their clients. They can interpret data, and make them see behind the louvres, who their visitors really are.
The tone-of-voice
REBAR is leading by example. Of course they’re writing with their end users in mind. The brand employs an off the cuff wittiness that shows the reader there `re actual human beings on the other side of this website or social post. It’s cheerful, without being silly.
The manifesto (in Dutch)
User Focused Optimization.
Wil je eindelijk weten waar je doelgroep mee bezig is?
REBAR geeft een nieuwe kijk op jouw klanten door middel van data- en zoekgedrag analyse.
Scherpe inzichten, die je overal kan inzetten. Marketing, sales, alles waarbij je klant in het vizier staat.
The manifesto
User Focused Optimization
Finally wanna know what moves your audience?
REBAR gives you a clear new picture of your customers thought data and search analysis.
Clever insights that you can employ everywhere: marketing, sales, anything that revolves around your clients.
Visual identity
The entire market landscape it littered with colorless websites, and if any of REBARs competitors dare touch a palette, they inescapably go for blue. We took a different turn for REBARs colors. Warm orange and earth tones, offset by a eye-catching mint green on black.
The earth tones tie into the iconography we’ve selected for the brand. It is to show that behind all this internet-based data there is a real world, with real people. The artwork is not too complex, it’s man-made and reflects that we’re all just humans trying to communicate with each other.
