ECLIPSE
Eclipse and Space Between always operated independently of each other, but offered complimenting services (design and development). It made sense that they joined forces as one agency with a full-service offering, therefore Space Between merged with Eclipse. As a result of this move, Eclipse had a reset on the brand, looking to reflect the brands full service offering, starting with an experience-led approach to the business.
ECLIPSE
Eclipse and Space Between always operated independently of each other, but offered complimenting services (design and development). It made sense that they joined forces as one agency with a full-service offering, therefore Space Between merged with Eclipse. As a result of this move, Eclipse had a reset on the brand, looking to reflect the brands full service offering, starting with an experience-led approach to the business.
Historically, the agency had a very corporate approach to the brand with a subdued deep blue and red colour palette. This didn’t reflect the exciting and bold approach the agency was taking going forward. After extensive research, the decision was made to mirror this in a new, vibrant statement colour, supported by a softer supporting palette.
We opted against the use of black in the brand and opted for, what we referred to as, Charcoal. The softer use of base colour reflected a more considered approach and offered a more relaxed reading experience. A minor change, but a really important one.
As part of the rebrand we considered both serif and san serif typefaces but felt that at this moment in time, the San Serif typeface, Brandon Grotesque Black reflected the bold, confident approach we wanted to reflect as a brand. This made a fitting headline statement in all caps. The caps approach also helped curate shorter, punchier, no-nonsense headlines.
We also chose Proxima Nova as a secondary body font. This complimented the headline font and had the personality and readability that we felt made it very easy to read. With scalability in mind, the use of percentage leading is intentionally used to ensure consistency regardless of size or use.
THE WORLD ISN’T FLAT…WHY WOULD WE BE?
We went through a phase where ‘flat design’ was everywhere. This had a detrimental effect on user interfaces and accessibility. In many ways it was so overused it all became ‘boring’ and ‘samey’. This is certainly something we didn’t want for the brand so we ensured we utilised depth within the brand. This not only lifted it aesthetically, but it also provided a hierarchal layer to any use of the brand from GUI to presentations.
Another consideration was that the use of colour within the shadows themselves. If colour was used in the foreground element, the soft use of the colour in the cast shadow provided a more natural positioning within the context of the design.
When it came to the logo, historically there was a direct interpretation of the word Eclipse. From a visual relations perspective this somewhat made sense, but didn’t really reflect what the brand was doing. You could make a case for ‘Eclipse the competition’, but so could many others. Just Google it and you’ll see many, many logos doing the same thing.
For the business though, there was a bigger question on what image did we want to portray. At the core we wanted to reflect that we were more than what you saw on the surface. Those who may have traditionally come to Eclipse for Development services, were unaware they now offered Experience services. For the Space Between audience, users were unaware all the development services we could now offer.
As a result, we took a base typeface and customised it to create the logo. paying careful consideration to how it worked with the chosen typefaces. The 5 degree on the angle on the logo reflects growing agency offering and the increasing results/performance we provide our clients on a daily basis.
The use of a burger menu under the ‘p’ of the logo was not just used as a recognisable mark in user interfaces, but also doubles as the menu or reflection of having more to find. This is used in a number of ways across the brand in both static and interactive formats. The angle of the menu is also reflected on the website as part of the brand continuity.
Another consideration in the rebrand was how we would maintain brand presence across the execution. In the example below, this went beyond just sticking a logo in the corner of a slide. Once you’re in a presentation, you’re not going to forget halfway through, so a more subtle hint of the brands visual identity would be enough to carry through that personality. This is when we looked at using ‘blobs’ (I’ll take responsibility for the undignified name) to carry that colour through. Couple this either considered content of the hierarchal shadow use, is a subtle way to carry the brand though the story. The shape cropping isn’t fixed and can flex providing no complex or sharp objects are used.
CLIENT:
ECLIPSE GROUP SOLUTIONS
ROLE:
CREATIVE DIRECTION. UX. UI. ANIMATION. BRANDING.