Affinity HR
A Corporate Branding Project
Background
The current Affinity HR Group brand identity
Affinity HR is a company that offers human resources support for small and medium sized businesses. They offer organization and consultation services for companies to help manage staff policies. There are a number of sensitive and complicated issues that arise when managing people and many companies find it easier to hire an outside firm to help navigate these issues.
The company is led by a small group of experts who came together to found Affinity HR after extensive experience in the field.
Competition
Other HR Companies with similar target markets are the main competition. HR has expanded to a large and complicated field with new regulations introduced often. Affinity HR exists among several Canadian companies seeking to fill this need. Some of their main competitors are Edge HR Systems, People Corporation, and HR Downloads. These companies are embracing SEO and modern web design to have highly clean and aesthetic websites. The prime values expressed are trustworthiness, teamwork, and inclusivity.
Project Objectives
Create an improved logo identifier that better suits the company and their work. Apply this logo to a letterhead, a business card, an envelope, and a mailing label. The existing logo has a few fundamental problems and is bland overall. A successful redesign will address all these issues and deliver a more effective logo.
Target Audience
Primary
Medium sized businesses with common human resource problems that can be addressed with established methods. Affinity HR is primarily concerned with companies that have new HR requirements. Newly founded companies and ones that are experiencing rapid growth and expansion are of top concern to Affinity HR. The target is likely not highly technically savvy. A large part of the appeal is that Affinity is a one-stop solution for HR so that business owners can focus on the product and the customer. Their expertise is a major selling point. Demographically, the target audience is generally older individuals working in management.
Secondary
Small sized businesses with unique HR problems that require a more customized set of services. A small business is likely much more technologically informed. They have probably solved dozens of problems through perseverance and determination, but they now realize it is not cost effective to spend so much time on HR issues. This secondary audience is younger and more critical or resentful of the need for HR.
Brand Values
Trustworthiness and even-tempered attitudes are essential for HR work. An outsider to a company must be neutral and fair but also commanding and worthy of leadership. Every aspect of their service must stand up to scrutiny. Affinity may be the arbiter of conflicts which means they need to have confidence and authority.
Creative and Technical Considerations
The logo must have a two-colour version as well as an equally effective single colour version. There must not be any gradients, fine lines, or sharp corners. It must fit in with the existing corporate identity on their website.
Key Message
We are a trustworthy reliable company that is ready to help you achieve your HR needs without breaking the bank or causing undue distress to your growing company.
Competitive Audit
Canadian HR Companies
Your HR Team
This logo uses striking red and black colours as well as thick, low contrast, condensed lettering. The H and R come together in a way that is reminiscent of a handshake perhaps. Overall, this is a very abstract representation. There is some meaning in the arrangement that implies teamwork or compromise.
People Corporation
The People Corporation logotype takes a safer traditional approach to corporate identities. The calming blue and inoffensive grey are perfectly agreeable, although completely bland and forgettable. This is clearly an office-related business-oriented corporate execu-speak design. It is a safe choice. A viewer would not question the integrity or maturity of this company.
HR downloads
This company has a much more youthful and modern approach to a similarly straightforward corporate identity. The use of dark purple and a paler blue makes this logo stand out much better than the People Corporation. The inclusion of an iconic logo adds to the feeling of modernity. Using the word ‘downloads’ implies that a good deal of the work they do can be accomplished remotely. This is true for most HR companies today, but having this word in the title has an overtly cutting edge implication.
EDGE human resource solutions
This logotype is quite effective. It uses a variety of colours to reinforce the teamwork and negotiation that is critical to HR work. Different colours come together to reach agreement. The three corner shapes represent multiple pages of a document, reflecting much of the corporate activity. The three shapes are also different colours, reinforcing the teamwork value.
Rationale
Approach
Affinity is a young company. It was founded by a group of veterans in the field of corporate HR. The company needs to demonstrate their substantial experience and knowledge while also being a new and perhaps unknown brand. The keywords associated with this brand are trust, stability, and integrity.
Design
The corporate name, Affinity, refers to a tendency of objects to come together. The original logo features a jigsaw puzzle piece. This is a cliché image of teamwork and connectiveness. While effective, this image is overplayed. Additionally, the image of a puzzle piece is unnecessarily obvious and overt. This company requires a brand identity that is subtle and dignified.
Drawing on the concept of a puzzle piece, the redesign features an implied fitting between the letters HR. A semicircular divot taken out of one letter and added to another creates an obvious potential connection. This potential for smooth interlocking shapes creates a sense of anticipation.
The outcome of the redesign process is a two-coloured wordmark. The name of the company is rendered in navy blue and gold. The solid dark blue is friendly yet authoritative. The gold acts as a complimentary accent which adds dynamism. The gold and navy together might auger memories of ship captains, airplane pilots, and police officers.
The choice of typeface was meant to encourage the friendly human-centric nature of the corporate activity. Rounded ends to all the curvilinear letters are reminiscent of the classic human symbol on crosswalk signs and many others. The two letter ‘i’s are given gold tittles. This increases visual intrigue, but also implies a scene of two individuals having a meeting at a conference table. This is a very subtle reference meant to reinforce the corporate activity.
