Building a scalable brand system for a global financial firm
A global brand refresh turning Hawksford’s renovated website into a scalable, cohesive identity across 20+ international offices.
From website refresh to global brand system
In 2023, Hawksford, a leading provider of Corporate, Private Client and Fund services with a presence in 20+ locations across EMEA, Asia, and the Americas, launched a newly designed website. The updated site featured a modern aesthetic, leveraging clean layouts, bold tile applications and a refreshed use of white space and imagery.
While the new website achieved a visually appealing design, the Hawksford marketing team recognised a larger opportunity to refine and standardise their brand identity. They envisioned a cohesive global brand refresh that would provide clarity, consistency and flexibility across all touchpoints.
Our initial task was to adapt the updated style across collateral for a Private Client brochure and an event in Singapore. However, it quickly became evident that the design approach lacked the structure needed for scalability. Without clear guidelines, extending the website’s look and feel to other materials became challenging, particularly for a global business with diverse audiences.
This is where we came in: to create a streamlined, scalable and impactful visual identity. Our role was to take the promising foundation laid by the website and elevate it into a full-scale brand refresh. This included defining how Hawksford’s distinctive brand tiles could be used effectively, crafting a system to ensure global consistency and preparing the business for its ambitious future plans.
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Our journey began by going back to basics
We took the existing website design and deconstructed it to its core elements, carefully examining the functionality and visual impact of the brand tiles. The goal was to create a system where the tiles could integrate seamlessly with imagery, elevating rather than distracting from Hawksford’s storytelling.
The new design system focused on flexibility and ease of use, ensuring that Hawksford’s marketing team could implement it confidently across all materials. Brand tiles were reimagined as bold, purposeful accents, used sparingly but with greater impact. This approach allowed for striking designs that maintained balance across various outputs.
We redefined the role of Hawksford’s brand line, “Thinking beyond tomorrow.” Previously used inconsistently, we repositioned it as a powerful sign-off encapsulating Hawksford’s forward-thinking ethos and their commitment to delivering value well into the future.
During the project, we also revisited the brand’s image library, refreshing it and developing a new set of image guidelines to ensure that imagery remained impactful and effectively communicated with Hawksford’s diverse global audience.
The brand refresh saw the creation of new social media templates, core marketing brochures, flyers, pull-up banners, event merchandise and both print & digital ads. Most recently, we designed a 6 metre-wide exhibition stand for a high-profile event in London, launching the refreshed look and feel with significant impact.
Additionally, we developed a completely new look for Hawksford’s employer brand. Adding personality and energy to stand out to potential candidates in a competitive market.
The result of our collaboration was a fully refreshed and unified brand identity.
We prepared a comprehensive brand guidelines document covering every aspect of the new look and feel, from the nuanced use of brand tiles to the tone of brand communications and the style of visual elements.
To ensure smooth adoption, we presented the brand refresh to Hawksford’s global team, sharing the rationale and creative journey behind the transformation. This presentation not only showcased the new identity, but also engaged the team.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Both internal teams and external stakeholders praised the fresh, polished look. The project has equipped Hawksford with the tools to deliver a consistent and impactful brand presence across all touchpoints, supporting their ambitious global growth plans in 2024 and beyond.
“The brand refresh has provided Hawksford with a much more cohesive and consistent visual identity. The refined guidelines and templates – along with the refreshed imagery and purposeful use of the brand tiles – have given us a new brand framework that can easily be scaled and rolled out across the wider business and channels as we continue to grow.”
Karen Gallagher
Head of Marketing, Hawksford
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