Through 2019 and 2020, Brevity & Wit (a strategy and design firm I create with), led Evans Incorporated through a brand analysis and visual identity overhaul. This included internal and market research, an updated brand story and messaging, a new visual identity, and strategic integration. The challenge was to create a brand identity that respected Evans roots and did not alienate existing government clients, but was flexible enough to attract and grow business with private sector clients. Therefore, Brevity & Wit centered their work on developing the brand story, which allowed Evans to see itself as a protagonist in a bigger market place.

Lead Strategist: Minal Bopaiah
Lead Designer: Sophia Greenbaum
Junior Designer: Tarine Wright
Developer: Todd Zeldin

Given that Evans was founded by a woman, the previous branding had a coldness that did not interfere with the “human-centered” moniker the company touted. With two male owners, we realized we needed to warm up the brand a bit so that the human-centered factor would be conveyed more easily. Thus, we provided them with a new logo and a vibrant color palette that met accessibility requirements for low-vision users. The brand guide we developed included key phrases and a sample elevator pitch, but choosing to highlight key phrases instead of creating boilerplate copy, we evoked the “human-centered” nature of the firm to ensure employees could talk about the brand both consistently and in their own voice.

Internal research: Reviewing existing documents outlining brand positioning and interviewing critical stakeholders tied to the organization.

Market research: Conducting market research to validate the new messages Evans had already created and glean additional insights that may inform messaging.

Brand story and top line messaging: Synthesizing the research garnered in the steps above and developing a short and pithy brand story that could be easily communicated to staff, clients, and external partners.

Visual identity creation: Developing a visual identity that included a new logo, brand guide, colors and typography, icons, PowerPoint and Word templates, and sub-branded identities.

Web design and development: Redesigning, redeveloping, and relaunching the Evans’ website to be aligned with the new brand story and visual identity.

Strategic integration: Working with stakeholders ​​to help key roles understand how the new brand story would influence product and service offerings, capabilities, and culture.