Northstar Asset Management

Unearthing the core positioning

We hosted an intensive brand workshop analysing the business values with the motive for extracting the unique brand difference. We looked to define what makes Northstar different in an environment under large scale change and growth in competition. We found the previous positioning of the “life journey” was inline with general sector positioning. On bullish investigation, we ascertained that this “long term investing”, so common in the competitive environment, is really just an inward ruse to get clients to forgive underwhelming performance in the short and medium term horizons. In order to differentiate against the competition, we needed to pivot and find a unique angle.

It became evident that Northstar has a large proportion of staff dedicated to fund and investment research. The brand stood apart from competition; asset managers which are often thinly spread and quite unspecialised. Each holding a portfolio with a shallow perspective on each product due to the extensive range on offer. Northstar offers a much narrower focus through a limited number of tactical funds, yet conversely each of their funds is far more meticulously researched and managed.

This combination of less is more, coupled with the nature of the deep dive led us to seize upon the positioning of “Closer to the truth.” The truth being factors which become unearthed after careful interrogation and relentless study. In comparison to the larger and more comfortable asset managers selling a wide stall of wares – the Northstar position is of high expertise and considered investing. When it came to the articulation of “Closer to the truth”, we explored visual narratives which expressed a close-up perspective. We began exploring macro and microscopic photography but found the aesthetic became quickly unattractive.

More interesting and more beautiful is the deeper study of minerals and cross section of precious stones and natural materials observed at far greater levels of magnification. We found the more ambiguous nature still held the notion of a “closer” look – yet allowed for more fluidity and abstraction. In branding, it’s often advantageous to have a more variable system so that the elements can be used in more interesting ways. We researched unique artwork from varying artists who took the idea of detailed form and created imaginative dimensional objects and environments. We felt this was an exciting and new perspective which offered greater freedom and potential. We also appreciated the sci-fi nature of unknown forms and connected this with esoteric understanding which could only be accessed from deeper research, intelligence and shrewd discovery.

The key brand image is supported by a secondary series of forms which are cropped against a black background which helps them pop in full saturation. The result is both intensely bright but also minimally serious at the same time. In addition, we also provided clipped versions which can be used on white and other key brand colours. We developed a colour palette which contained discerning and dark base primaries and a series of brights which enabled the continuation of the contrast.

A key deliverable for the project was the creation of a broad information led website to be hosted on the WordPress platform. The website not only carried fund information but also used custom coded Java based charting applets. These code assets allowed for dynamic chart creation created from simple csv data tables uploaded into the back end. Time horizons, performance and returns are all automatically generated in the front end. Following the research positioning, users are also able to delve well into Northstar’s performance legacy with a library of every fact sheet readily available for inspection. We greatly optimised the overall browsing UX by consolidating what was very disparate journeys all into single key fund pages which contain all the relative information in one page. We built a smart anchor based in-page navigation system which allowed for a reduction of page count by over 50% with no loss in perceived depth.

As part of the brand expression, we animated the symbol in order to create a film based ident. This was used in an initial brand awareness film which clarified the “closer to the truth” positioning. The video comprised of a series of staff videos juxtaposed with abstracted film footage. The Northstar team took it in turns to explain how their various roles added context to the overall brand positioning. The brand was subsequently launched to the wider client base and sector at an evening function in the city of Cape Town. The Northstar CEO, Adrian Clayton, added further substance to the positioning and took the opportunity to link the recent positive business performance to the brand. The resulting brand and website represents a marked differentiation from the sector competition and cements the research proposition into the minds of the core audience.