Meanjin | Brisbane, Australia
Brand development for a groundbreaking business using a neuroscience-focused approach to improving employee satisfaction and workplace culture.
Location:
Meanjin | Brisbane, Australia
Service area:
Worldwide
Sector:
Culture Strategist
Our role:
Branding; Brand Strategy, Creative Direction, Brand Identity Design and Rollout.
We all know the greatest scientific discoveries have emerged from curious minds. However, it was curiosity of the mind and how it can be used to enhance workplace culture, which led inquisitive neuroscientist and author of “Legacy Leadership”, Carolyn Grant, to establish her company: People+Science.
Prior to People+Science, Carolyn founded 6peas, an organisation aimed at assisting businesses in enhancing their marketing strategies and improving their clientele experience by using advanced models and data-driven insights. As she continued to work with a diverse range of companies, she observed the critical role psychological safety and employee satisfaction played in determining the success of an organisation.
These “light bulb” moments led her to create People+Science, which aims to employ scientific principles to promote productivity by improving work environments and employee fulfilment, rather than focusing directly on customer satisfaction. As the customer-facing brand of 6peas, People+Science provides cutting-edge frameworks and workshops to executives, board members, and leaders, enabling them to develop high-performance teams that deliver exceptional customer experiences. It also trains and licences practitioners to utilise and apply these frameworks in their own work.
Carolyn sought help from By Ninja, another strong female-led business, to help establish People+Science as an industry leader. Our role in People+Science's journey was to generate and implement a full brand identity and strategy, by developing its creative identity and delivering its message through templates, business cards and an interactive virtual workshop platform.
An intense curiosity (some may call it nosiness in our case) is something that we at By Ninja share with People+Science. As a result, our approach to establishing their brand identity began, as it always does, with us performing a collaborative deep dive into the who, what, what, when, where and how of their business. Asking these all important questions allowed us to ascertain why People+Science exists, what they stand for, who their target audience is and how they feel they should make a difference and have an impact.
After our initial face-to-face meeting with Carolyn, it became clear to us that People+Science aspire to set themselves apart as a unique organisation with a focus on employee satisfaction, recognising that satisfied staff are the key component to a successful business.
Throughout the process we continued to collaborate closely through virtual means, including utilising indepth questionnaires aimed at exploring the brand heart and defining characteristics. This allowed us to delve into the brand’s essence and defining traits, helping us establish its tone of voice and messaging pillars that would inform the creative and visual aspect of our work.
Businesses ultimately exist to serve people and the individuals within it possess the ability to either elevate or undermine its success.
Therefore, it’s essential to recognise the significance of employees and the impact they have on a business, both in terms of how much they can be affected and also the magnitude of their influence.
Collaborating closely with People+Science, and embracing our curiosity, we were able to generate a carefully curated brand experience and strategy that included thoughtfully-designed templates, business cards and interactive virtual workshops.
Keeping the concept of “neuroscience” front of mind, the People+Science brand identity boldly balances both its human and scientific elements, embracing minimalistic but meaningful components. Graphical features were inspired by the map of neuro responses to stimulus and were inspired by the behaviours relevant to the tools and frameworks, such as the elements of sound waves necessary for communication. Similarly, science and colour theory inspired the colour palette.
Inclusiveness is a central focus of People+Science and what it teaches, so it was necessary to embrace those elements in the design process. We achieved this by using typography that was simple and easy to read, and developing business cards that included Braille, a small example of how businesses can adopt a positive attitude towards diversity.
Behavioural science inspired us when developing their interactive virtual workshops, where we focused on visual enjoyment, interaction and engagement. By incorporating fun elements, such as icebreaker exercises and clickable directional elements we allowed for better participation and easy navigation.
We established a brand image for People+Science that allows them to communicate and market more effectively, maximising their voice, asserting their expertise and trustworthiness in improving businesses by creating happy thriving staff, equalling even happier customers.
Their interactive workshops have seen increased engagement and participation, allowing international organisations to involve entire teams simultaneously. Participants can remain anonymous, which makes them feel safer to participate honestly, removing bias and peer pressure. The business cards have also been a conversation starter, sparking necessary dialogue on the importance of inclusivity, particularly embracing it in the workplace.
As a business, People+Science, continues to remain curious and evolve, re-energised by their new brand identity and direction.
By Ninja, have designed my two favourite brands - People+Science and Valid8Innovations. We have collaborated on a number of projects with clients and to deliver better products and services to female founders. I cannot recommend Kathleen and her team highly enough. This is an investment in your brand - you need to love it - and with Kathleen you will!
— Carolyn Grant, Founder + Director of People+Science, 6peas, Valid8 Innovations
Doing things differently starts with a conversation.
