&Marketing recently helped an established company craft the logo and brand identity for a new, separate endeavor using Storytelling & Branding.

Business Challenge Summary

&Marketing’s client, Freya Systems, is developing a new brand called Allvaldi as a launching pad for a product strategy separate from their base business. Allvaldi will commercialize web and mobile applications initially focused on the inspection and maintenance space for pipelines, infrastructure, and aviation, with the eventual aim to broaden the platform.

Allvaldi’s name is based on a giant from Norse mythology, commonly known as Ivaldi or Alvaldi. The sons of Ivaldi were master craftsmen who created tools for the gods, and the client saw this new company as a digital smith forging powerful tools for their customers. They came to us with a desire to develop a brand that communicated this narrative, while also conveying a sense of modernity and fun.

&Marketing’s Approach

Before any design work began, we scheduled a working session with Allvaldi where we could understand their background, their audience, and their goals for the company. During this working session we utilized a unique combination of Donald Miller’s Storybrand Framework, along with a Brand Archetypes exercise. This allowed us to uncover who their customer is, what problem(s) they face, how Allvaldi is uniquely positioned to guide them to a solution, and how they can help their clients find their ‘happily ever after.’

Once we established that narrative, it was important for Allvaldi to know their place in the story. We shared the twelve Brand Archetypes (applied to marketing by Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson) with Allvaldi, and through a combination of a Narrative Marketing Outline and supplemental questions, were able to determine the Archetypal Guide their customers need.

In this case, their customer is seeking to minimize human error in inspections and reporting in order to focus on the things AI and programming can’t do. The guide they are looking for is one who understands the need to control the mundane (Ruler) in order to have the freedom to create the magnificent (Creator). Once the story (and their place in it) was established, the work of creating their visual identity could begin.

Here is our typical process for crafting a brand’s visual identity:

• Develop 8-10 concepts of a logo based on the Narrative Marketing Outline and Brand Archetypes
• Share with the client and narrow down to one design
• Refine the chosen design based on client feedback
• Share with the client, receive final feedback, and finish logo

Once the logo was approved, we moved on to create their brand guide. Here is our typical process for developing a brand guide:

• Select 3-5 color palette and font pairing options, and provide samples for the client using the finalized logo and lorem ipsum text
• Share with the client and narrow down to one color palette and font pairing
• Take the selected color palette, font pairing, and logo to create the brand guide
• Share the brand guide with the client
• Package and deliver the guide, logo, and font files

Results

Allvaldi received a visual identity that was congruent to their audience and what they are looking for in a guide. With their brand identity firmly in place, Allvaldi can now confidently launch into the marketplace with an engaging and consistent look and feel.

Additionally, the client is also confidently equipped with a strong sense of their own brand personality and can move forward with additional marketing strategies with clarity and consistency.

Clarification and alignment of Allvaldi’s unique value proposition

New logo that reflects the essence of their identity

Brand guide that serves as a compass for brand aesthetic and communication