NC Squared & Distribution Engine
branding + identity + illustration
Client
NC-Squared is a UK based software company engineering essential tools that keep their customers' workplace running smoothly and efficiently.
Their flagship product; Distribution Engine, named after Charles Babbage’s ground breaking ‘Difference Engine’ is an intelligent lead assignment system that increases fairness, productivity and predictability in the workplace.
Brief
While NC-Squared’s previous branding system had tirelessly and faithfully done its job over the last few years, it was time for a refresh and realignment. The connection between company and product needed rethinking and the overall look and feel needed bringing up to speed and rejuvenating.
It was important to NC-Squared to keep hold of a few elements, such as the tongue-in-cheek energy and cheeky charm of their scientist mascots. A sense of fun was a driving principal, as was the preservation of a degree of recognisability; as the brand and product their customers knew and loved. The original, retro nineteen-forties science lab theme however needed reworking so to better reflect their forward thinking direction.
Beyond those requirements, all aspects of the branding system were on the table for redevelopment. The challenge was to find the best way to tie everything together and reinforce the sense of innovation and inventiveness that flowed through NC-Squared’s ethos.
Solution
The direction forward was to first strip away the faux-vintage aesthetic and replace it with an optimistic ‘world-of-tomorrow’, populated by jet packs and new fangled sci-fi engineering. The nineteen-forties scientist mascots were reenergised into a range of diverse, twenty-first (if not twenty-second) century engineers, working away within the Engine to keep systems flowing.
Distribution was a prominent theme. Visually showing the travel of data from point A to point B became the core concept. A pneumatic tubing graphic device was developed, not only to represent this theme but also to build a physical environment for the new engineers to populate and interact with - the buzzing inner workings of the Distribution Engine. This device went on to inform choices and development of assets across the brand, from the structure of NC-Squared’s logo system and iconography to finding the perfect typeface match.
When it came to Distribution Engine’s own logo system, it was a major question whether the ‘cog’, which had represented the product for so long should stay or go. Ultimately the perfect balance of heritage preservation and pushing forward to something new was found. A new ‘atom’ logo mark reinforced the energetic, futuristic feel of the brand whilst also protecting the cog subtly within its negative space.
From here a consistent illustration style was engineered. A shape and grid system was created to build multiple illustrative assets, from the new mascots to fun team portraits and bustling laboratory environments.
The central goal for the colour system was energy! A vibrant, zinging palette was constructed that doesn’t hold back, reinforcing the vitality and lightness of the brand’s personality and the energy of inventiveness and the engine’s capabilities.
The reimagined DE logo mark perfectly balances preservation of heritage and discovery of something new.
Inspiration was found in optimistic, science fiction design, creating a colourful 'world-of-tomorrow' environment.
The central goal for the colour system was energy! A vibrant, zinging palette that doesn’t hold back.
Distribution was a prominent theme. Visually showing the travel of data from point A to point B became the core concept.
Creating portraits of the team using the new shape device was a tonne of fun.
Result
Altogether, the redeveloped assets formed a fresh, lively branding system for NC-Squared and Distribution Engine that was fun and refrained from taking itself too seriously. An updated and rejuvenated logo system gave the brands, a new but recognisable face. The illustration and colour system painted the everything in positivity and youthful energy. CoType Foundry's wonderfully structured type reinforced solidity and integrity. All intertwined with the visualisation of distribution and the future facing aesthetic.
"Rob has done a great job with our recent brand refresh! We wanted to re-energise our marketing and customer facing materials so that we would stand out from the competitors. We wanted to keep some of the original concepts; the easy going sense of fun, some cartoon like characters and some science themes, whilst exploring how to push the brand forward. Rob found a great balance between those two objectives and built a range of assets, and a brand system that we could use to achieve this. We're all really pleased with the outcome!"
Neil Crawford, Co-Founder - NC-Squared
"Rob has done a great job with our recent brand refresh! We wanted to re-energise our marketing and customer facing materials so that we would stand out from the competitors. We wanted to keep some of the original concepts; the easy going sense of fun, some cartoon like characters and some science themes, whilst exploring how to push the brand forward. Rob found a great balance between those two objectives and built a range of assets, and a brand system that we could use to achieve this. We're all really pleased with the outcome!"
Neil Crawford, Co-Founder - NC-Squared
