agency: INTERACTIVE PARTNERS client: CANVAS industry: DIGITAL AGENCY
BACKSTORY
Interactive Partners, a NYC Digital Agency, had let their brand fall by the wayside amongst the daily tasks of running a business. Consequently, they found themselves living with a brand that no longer represented who they were as a company. While they had reliable clients that paid the bills, they had bigger ambitions. With their 7th anniversary approaching, the time was right to reconsider who they were and make a major investment in their brand, including moving out of clustered corporate cubicles into a fresh new space.
CHALLENGE
Knowing they could bring more value to engagements, Interactive Partners was ready to go all in on building a brand that inspired clients and partners to see them in a more relevant way, regardless of the ever-changing role of technology. In order to transition from their staid generic brand to one underscored by authenticity, focused messaging, elevated aesthetic and branded experiences, Interactive Partners required a complete brand overhaul.
INSIGHT
Following a series of brand workshops, along with time spent observing how Interactive Partners worked, a resounding theme emerged that connected all the dots. Over the years, they had developed a strong culture of collaboration. Working together, their different perspectives fueled and challenged one another to allow new ideas to take shape. They were constantly striving to transform themselves and their clients into something bigger and better – be it client expectations, their own perspective and approach to challenges, and even their internal workflow.
They were also really emotionally committed to executing at the highest level. They approached every task with fervor, pushing and pulling one another in pursuit of the optimal output, taking their transformative solutions to a whole other level. This yin yang of heartfelt performance underscored everything they did, awarding them a really unique sensibility and approach.
Turning to their name and visual identity, transformation served as the basis for criteria, as well as an objective sounding board. All ideas would have to embody broad possibilities, be open to interpretation, maintain an element of the unexpected, and, of course, be memorable.
The duality of meaning Canvas lent to the brand perfectly suited their yin yang: It reflected their propensity for examining things in great detail, as well as the notion of there being more than meets eye, like a painting with the layer upon layer of brush strokes.
What’s more, it inspired a dynamic tagline that succinctly captured their difference.
IN ACTION
Driving brand identity, 100 of their favorite things in the form of icons served as a conduit for transformation, demonstrating the impact of changing perspective.
Despite being a digital agency, one of the most compelling expressions of the brand was how ‘technology led transformations’ translated offline. Beginning with a unique business card that incited a change in perspective, and extending as far as packaging for holiday gifting, the new brand proved itself truly transformative.
“I have yet to hand out my card without getting a reaction - I couldn’t have imagined it would be such a powerful business asset.”
Canvas moved to their new home - an open space suited for collaboration, reflective of their personality, and designed to inspire creativity.
They also moved to a new URL.
