HVR brand
Overview
HVR is a data integration software technology with unique capabilities to process high volumes of data in near real-time, making it a very desirable solution for many enterprises. In late 2021, HVR was acquired by the unicorn, Fivetran, a SaaS data pipeline.
In 2017, having recently moved their headquarters to the US from the Netherlands, HVR brought me in as their first graphic designer. In this role, I was able to shape the brand from the ground up. I managed a graphic designer, three web developers and project manager via an agency, and eventually began to build an in-house team prior to the acquisition. I guided the company through two major brand and website updates, while managing all marketing and sales collateral, web maintenance, event and swag design — you name it.
This project highlights the latest brand refresh for the company prior to its acquisition.
My contribution
Creative Direction. Brand Identity. Brand Strategy. Illustration. Web Design. Digital Experience. Project Management.
The team
Year
2021
Process
Old brand
Prior to my arrival at HVR, the company had dedicated minimal resources to its branding. The brand relied heavily on an over-used 'high-tech' imagery style that vaguely referenced data and had an incongruous pastel color palette.
Exploring ideas — fresh data
Let's skip ahead to the last iteration of the brand identity. At that time, in early 2021, the core marketing message emphasized how HVR delivered fresh data — real-time data that enabled businesses to make decisions on the most up-to-date information and gain a competitive edge.
It was important for the new brand identity to incorporate this concept of freshness, a playful boldness, as well as bring in a human element that would contrast the fairly generic 'high-tech' stock image-heavy look of competitors.
Outcome
A fresh perspective on data integration
Color palette
The color palette at the time that I joined HVR used non-ADA compliant pastels and orange, which I initially refreshed in 2017 to have a primary palette of deep blue, aqua and black. However, the dominant blue and aqua were quite restrictive. While it was easy to create consistency in collateral, it also looked stale quickly when spread across all touchpoints. The palette needed to be livened up, allowing for variety along the user journey. This was also important in order to showcase the playful and bold expression of the brand, as well as a way to convey the complexity of data architectures that HVR could integrate.
Illustrations
The line drawing style with offset blocks of color is friendly and humanizes the concept of data integration.
Icons and architecture diagrams
Line drawing icons to match the illustration style with solid cobalt that draws attention to HVR in a diagram.
Website
A whole new site experience with bold text and playful color, while also immediately providing answers to technical details, such as an interactive supported platform technology section, and product UI animation.