New York
Global consultancy, Brandpie, unveils a new identity for the internationally recognized Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO). Brandpie worked with EO to develop a new purpose, positioning and differentiating identity for the organization to effectively convey EO’s vision to help entrepreneurs connect and grow together.
The end result is a modern and inclusive brand for EO that reflects who they are at the core.
Rik Haslam, Executive Creative Partner, says: “We’re proud to unveil this work for EO, which helps to clearly define the dynamism and deep commitment to fostering connection that sets EO apart internally and externally.”
Winnie Hart, EO Board member says: “Brandpie’s understanding of us as an organization has resulted in a strong, trustworthy brand that reflects who we are and what we have to offer. We are thrilled to share this new evolution of our brand with the world and are confident that it will inspire our wider community as much as it has our internal teams and stakeholders.”
Evolving purpose
Last year, having outgrown the identity and positioning it adopted in a 2005 refresh (“Fueling the Entrepreneurial Engine”), EO enlisted Brandpie to help reevaluate the organization’s positioning to better serve the brand, its goals, and members going forward.
To facilitate this, Brandpie focused first on understanding who EO is as an organization and discovering more about their mission, vision, positioning, and strategic plans for the future. Rik Haslam says: “Engaging the team and wider stakeholders throughout the organization is a key part of any design project, so we begin that engagement right from the start with kick off meetings, focus groups with our collaborative software VYTALS, and a competitive audit.”
This in-depth discovery process included speaking to and hosting focus groups with EO members and employees around the world, including teams in South Africa, Australia, Japan, the UK, and US.
Based on the insight gathered through this first phase, Brandpie developed EO’s new Brand narrative (Purpose, Ambition, Brand Positioning, and Brand pillars) to inform their design concepting phase.
The case for connections
For EO, Brandpie developed a strategy rooted in a deep human insight: EO helps bring entrepreneurs together to build close personal relationships. To unite the elements of the new EO brand and hone in on this exclusive value that EO can offer, Brandpie and EO landed on a new creative idea: “Together we grow.”
“Loneliness in entrepreneurs is well-documented,” says Hannah Conway, Brandpie strategist. In fact, 50% of CEOs report experiencing loneliness in their role (Forbes 2018), and 30% of UK business owners cite “isolation” as one of their top challenges of self-employment (First Voice 2018). Not only does this speak to mental health, a person’s feeling of loneliness actually correlates with lower job performance (HBR 2018).
By rallying the brand around the idea of “Together we grow,” EO and Brandpie successfully propose a clear solution to the loneliness faced by many business owners, and simultaneously highlight the community and values that differentiate EO from other membership associations for entrepreneurs.
Dynamism and amplification
To bring this new positioning to life, Brandpie worked with EO’s in-house creative team to deliver a new visual identity system, including an abstract and dynamic new logo that embodies “Together we grow” – a graphic representation of the life-enhancing connections that members form within EO.
A dual notion of dynamism and amplification lies at the heart of the new visual system. The multiple lines within the logo also hint at the nature of the relationships that form – the lines appear to be interacting and influencing one another, connecting together, springing out of one another and taking each other on a journey.
The new design system also includes a lighter, more modern sans serif font, and a bold, friendly color palette that represents the organization’s dedication to inclusion, growth, and connection.
Harmonious balance
Ultimately, the new EO brand is a harmonious balance between trust and authority, supported with a system that embodies sophistication and playfulness at any touchpoint of the EO experience.
“This transformation reveals the core of human connection that lies at the heart of EO, and will help them achieve new heights through a purpose-led strategy.” says Rik Haslam, “I believe it goes to show the power of diving deep into what a brand is at the root, but also critically looking at how that identity connects to wider cultural needs that the brand can authentically help to meet.”
The new EO brand is now live.