Greetings, IT Land…
As Jay mentioned in his post , today is an exciting day for everyone here at Spiceworks! We’re rolling out the orange carpet as we introduce the world to our freshened-up brand identity. One major element that’s getting the spice treatment: our logo. The original mark served us well over the past 10+ years. But alas, all good things must eventually… be made better!
Fiery, radiant, customized for the modern tech landscape, and all kinds of spicy, we feel the new logo design nods to the past while capturing who we are as we blaze forth into the future.
To gain some insight into how it all came together, we sat down with two of the crazy-talented designers behind the new look, Diana Berno (Senior Designer, Brand) and Matt Kohn (Marketing Creative Manager).
1. What would you say ultimately prompted the need for a logo redesign?
Diana: “We looked at how we could bring the Spiceworks visual experience to life in ways that align with who we are as a company today. There were definitely some technical issues with the old logo: having been designed in 2006, it wasn’t friendly to the modern digital space, it didn’t align to the pixel grid causing blurriness on retina displays, and it was stretched which made it difficult to fit into smaller spaces (mobile).
But the main concern was how disjointed and outdated the experience felt with our old logo and larger visual identity. While the original logo served an immediate need for the scrappy startup we were, it’s no longer relevant to the world we live in… and where we’re headed as a company.”
2. What did the redesign process look like and what was your overarching approach?
Matt: “This process has been ongoing for over a year. First, we defined the core Spiceworks values Jay outlined and then we spent time determining how to update our visual identity in a way that would align with those values. We spent at least eight months on the brandmark (icon) alone from conceptualizing and pitching to refining and finalizing.
True to our brand, we held focus groups with IT pros, tech marketers, internal Spiceworkers, and one-on-one conversations with all of the above, so we knew the shift would be impactful. Speaking with everyone and getting straight-talk from IT pros gave us some great insight into the interactions people have with our brand… and where we should take it.”
3. Can you articulate what the new logo represents?
Diana: “The logo is made up of two main elements: the icon (brandmark) and our stylized company name (wordmark). The brandmark features flames that radiate out from the center and speak to the impact Spiceworks has on the IT industry. The flames also represent the energy we create as we connect everyone in IT.
We went with lowercase for the wordmark, which feels friendlier and more related to the tech world we live in. From a legibility standpoint, it didn’t make sense to include the dot on the “I.” Our logo is often used in small formats, such as on mobile, and the dot wouldn’t be visible in that scenario.”
4. How did our research findings inform the new color palette and what consideration went into how we’re using our brand colors in the new logo?
Matt: “We knew there were some things we didn’t want to change because certain elements have equity — and IT pros just like them. Obviously, the orange wasn’t going anywhere. It sets us apart, it’s fun and full of energy, and it really captures the essence of who Spiceworks is.
The orange and black we previously used often ended up looking… Halloweenish. Our expanded color palette gives us more flexibility in design. Fresh and inviting was our ultimate goal.”
5. What sub-brand interactions will people have with the new logo as it’s rolled out in various forms over the coming year?
Diana: “The roll-out begins today, but it’s going to be a lengthy process. We knew we couldn’t flip the switch over night or our users might feel like something had gone terribly wrong or worse, they’d been hacked! So we’re taking the soft roll-out approach. You can expect to see different pieces of our brand (SpiceWorld, SpiceCorps, and presentations) all get updated over the coming year.”
6. What measures are being taken to ensure the new identity will be used consistently across the board?
Matt: “Some of the fear whenever you undergo a brand refresh, including a logo update, is how much things will actually change. We’re building guidelines and putting tools in place to help preserve the approach we take — treating people like humans — which is part of what our IT pros and tech marketers have come to love (and expect!) from us.
7. How exactly do you hope audiences will experience the new logo and identity?
Diana: “I’m really excited about where this refresh will allow us to go without the limitations we’ve struggled with in the past. I hope that anyone who encounters our brand moving forward picks up on that sense of energy. We’re still the same Spiceworks you’ve come to know and love, just a little better dressed.”
Matt: “We really hope everyone likes it as much as we do! Ultimately, we want everyone to see a piece of content and instantly recognize that it’s Spiceworks, and associate that experience with the refreshing, energetic company we are. We’d like the full brand refresh to mirror everyone’s expectations of what Spiceworks means to them.”
