First published on Thursday, Aug 13, 2020
Last updated on Monday, Jun 12, 2017
When we launched, we wanted to create a brand that would stand out and announce our arrival to the world. This first version of BrightHR was loud and shouty, with neon colours, an illustrative style based on doodling and we controversially brought employee engagement to the masses, through our award-winning campaign: ‘It Pays to Play’.
It’s been almost two years since we launched - sending ripples through the HR industry for our playful work culture and courage to innovate - and a calmer, more self-aware and assured BrightHR exists today.
Since the very beginning, we spoke to our customers and learned what works for them. This has been invaluable for every department within the business, from developing the product to perfecting our marketing and design, to informing how sales and services speak to customers.
Our forward-looking brand and simple product design were consistently mentioned as the reason many businesses chose us over our competitors. But as we became more established and welcomed tens of thousands of users, it became clear we didn’t need to be quite so ‘shouty’.
So we formed an internal team, made up of Brightlings from across the business and began the process of bringing together everything we’d learned from our wonderful customers, from digging into our usage data and by tapping into the knowledge of the talented folk who live and breathe BrightHR.
The evolution begins....
With all the information gathered our design team set to work, all from the comfort of the beanbags at our HQ; Cloud 9. The challenge: to create a simplified look and feel for BrightHR that would work for all of our customers and to keep our vibrant and modern style with the ability to be serious at times too.
A splash of colour
We simplified the colour palette to ensure our content stands out above all else. A less extensive colour palette has allowed us to make design patterns that apply to everything we do, from print to screens of all sizes. This means a seamless and more consistent experience.
Evolving the Moodle
Illustration has always been central to BrightHR’s brand. There aren’t many brands out there that use illustration as part of their user interface (UI) in the way we do. It’s something we’ve always been proud of.
The first iteration of our illustrative style was based on research conducted into the benefits of doodling, which can help people think laterally and express their moods. Our Moodles were really simple shapes made to look like they could be drawn by anyone. By evolving the Moodles to a more stylistic illustration, we’ve added versatility to their use and application.
These illustrations are used to enlighten and clarify our visual messages, making sure this is not only functional but also easily recognisable which is why we integrated it throughout our marketing collateral and our app.
In addition to the new Moodles, we’ve also created illustrated people. We hope you’ll like these loveable characters as much as we do… occasionally even identifying with one or two of their problems!
Here's an example when it comes to managing shifts and rotas:
The ever-evolving BrightHR
No business ever stands still and, as a tech company, BrightHR moves faster than most. We understand our brand is informed by every touch point we have with our customers, from the visual elements such as logo, website or display ads, through to what we say in emails, our PR and how we talk to our customers over the phone. Our brand is a living and breathing thing, rooted in the culture of the business and we promise to constantly develop it as we continue, with our customers, on our brilliant journey.
To the future…and beyond!
You may have seen bits and bobs of the revisited brand on social media or in print. We’re slowly rolling it out, testing and improving things as we go along. We’re currently working hard to update the branding on the app across Android and iOS devices, and shortly we’ll be commencing work on our website before we roll it out on the BrightHR product dashboard itself.
Make sure you let us know what you think. We’re excited to see if you like our new look as much as we do!