Welcome to the New 9Dot: A Look into the Rebranding Process
We have a very special announcement — 9Dot has rebranded! We have upgraded to a more modern look to align with our advancement and goals as a company.
The rebranding process took around a year and went through 4 stages: Define, Create, Activate, and Manage.
- Define: Understand your purpose and explore your brand’s position in the market
- Create: Design your brand identity (logo, illustrations, documents, etc)
- Activate: Start launching your brand on your website, social, news, etc.
- Manage: Keep track of your brands’ impact and update your staff on changes
At @hello9dot, we had several changes including a new web and email address. This involved working closely with our tech and comms team to ensure that the brand launch was successful. Yvonne Li, Creative Content and Digital Producer at 9Dot notes, “Rebranding does not just mean a new logo. It involves a problem-solving and creative management process.”
Define: Understand your purpose and explore your brand’s position in the market
9Dot’s biggest challenge was opening their clientele to a larger market, outside of the education industry and more. The rebrand called for a better visualization of what 9Dot entailed as a company and the feeling that we hoped to instill in our clients: fun and assuring. The 9Dot Communications team worked closely with their executive leaders to detail the problem and craft their new position in the market.
Create: Design your brand identity (logo, illustrations, documents, etc)
Now, one of the most exciting parts about the rebrand: the new logo. 9Dot worked closely with a quality branding agency, 1924 to help revamp our old logo. They were so impressed by our mission and by what it was like working with us that they provided us with several different assets. “When working with a branding agency or within your own in-house designer, it is so important that they understand your company’s mission and values. This will reflect well on your new design,” adds Yvonne.
One of the biggest challenges when working with new designs and brainstorming is coming down to one idea. Therefore, it’s important to set a clear goal.
Ask questions like:
- How do you make your clients feel? How do you want them to feel?
- What kind of personality does your company have?
- What’s one word to describe your company?
- What’s your story? What drove your CEO to start the company in the first place?
Activate: Start launching your brand on your website, social, news, etc.
Once you have decided on your brand identity, you can get started on launching your brand. Some projects you need to add to your rebrand launch include but are not limited to:
- Social Media: change all your social media handles and curate a detailed rebrand launch.
- Website: change up your website and notify your staff and clients
- Swag: generate excitement by curating new swag for your team or clients (t-shirts, pens, mugs, etc.)
- Public Relations: Notify your community about the change in your new rebrand! Reach out to newspapers and press releases to ensure that your new look is noticed.
At 9Dot, we hand-packed swag gift boxes to send to all our staff members. Each staff member received a 9Dot Swag T-shirt, tote bag, and signature custom pencils that we had engraved with a few company adjectives: inspiring, courageous, wholehearted.
Manage: Keep track of your brands’ impact and update your staff on changes
Brands are never really static, their identity can change and grow as the industry changes. Therefore, it is essential that you keep your brand updated with the latest changes. We recommend creating Brand Guidelines for your team to follow. Here you can note important aspects of your brand and how your team will be using the new look.
Some topics to cover in your brand guidelines:
- Reason for change
- Typography: What fonts and styles are you using?
- Color Palette
- Illustrations/Other Assets
- Formatting Guidelines
When launching a new brand, you must share your process with the entire team. “At 9Dot, we hosted an all-staff meeting to introduce the new brand and gave a tutorial on how to access the new logo and other assets,” Yvonne notes, “Keeping your team in the loop boosts employee morale and makes them feel involved in the process. It can be incredibly helpful for internal and external communication.”
Final Thoughts
A rebrand process can be tedious, but with intentional efforts, you can create something incredibly meaningful and exciting.
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9Dot is a human resources and accounting company specializing in providing back-office services for mission-driven businesses, charter schools and nonprofit organizations.
