Blameless
A confident brand refresh for SaaS tech start-up that adds a human touch
Charlie Oscar
The launch of a bold brand and website for a new kind of digital agency
Charlie Oscar is not a run-of-the mill digital marketing agency. It’s a team of analysts, strategists and creatives, powered by marketing science, obsessed with building the world’s best brands. And the most compelling part? Their confidence, culture of performance and willingness to ruffle a few feathers.
With a wide and unique combination of skills and services, it’s a huge part of what makes them different- yet hard to define. They’ve got the tech, the people, the ambition, the attitude – but no story.
Our job was to position them as the leader in their own market, and communicate how they help others lead. In other words, give them an identity system as bold as their ambition.
The brand idea
Charlie Oscar doesn’t just help brands grow. They help brands to outmanoeuvre, outpace and outlast the competition.
Combine this sentiment with the confidence that oozes from every team member, and the brand idea needs only three words: “We build empires.” A bold statement synonymous with their ambitions to conquer new territories and build the market – not follow it.
A logo of complementary contrasts
“The data always tells us that creativity wins.“ This insight of ‘data vs creativity’ became a key part of the visual identity, informing many design choices, including the logo. It combines two typefaces in a contrasted but symbiotic way. This allows the letterforms to swap, stack and morph when seen in motion.
A visual system built on building blocks
We took the idea of building empires, incremental gains and endless growth, to define a simple but flexible visual system through use of big, bold blocks. Rising, stacking, building elements – this became the foundation for the way text was set, data was visualised and images were presented.
Maturing the brand through colour
The brand’s previous colour palette featured an unapologetic, neon green. Seeing merit in its boldness but wanting to add a more mature look and feel, we dialled down the usage. We led with a premium off-black, adding techy tones with minty tints, neutral greys and a pop of contrasting lilac.
Expression through experience
The intention of the new website was: show, don’t tell. Showcasing the agencies impressive portfolio of work and new identity principles, the site allows prospective clients and employees to visually discover what, and why, they do what they do.
Peppered with animations and data visualisations, it heroes the result of what’s possible when you combine data with creativity.
From the outset, Fiasco brought energy, clarity and creative courage. The process was as energising as the outcome, pushing us to articulate our story in ways we hadn’t before. The new brand and website don’t just look great – they’ve given us the confidence and tools to show up as leaders in our space.
Will Frappell, Chief Growth Officer at Charlie Oscar
Thanks to…
James, Will, Dan, Aoife and the whole team at Charlie Oscar for their inspiration, trust and being fantastic partners throughout.
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