Triago

Creating an individual aesthetic within a specialised sector

Triago operates within a niche territory which spans both financial and professional service sectors. A focussed position, it has at most five global direct competitors. Our brief is to elevate the slickness of the brand to show potential clients that Triago carries the greatest wealth of knowledge and experience. Triago has a long track record providing a consistant service offering. Furthermore, the business has a vast amount of accrued knowledge combined with very little staff turnover. Our remit is to highlight these attributes, taking Triago from a potentially restricted boutique proposition into a far more confident global positioning.

Triago had not yet developed a unique and memorable brand identity. Some early branding work was undertaken but it lacked any serious confidence or punch. We undertook a strategic exercise conducting qualitative research with client teams in both Europe and the United States. We used these findings to feedback to the management team and developed a cohesive positioning. The mission reflected much of the accrued skills yet also provided a lodestar behind which the multi-national teams could rally. Through osmosis with stakeholders we learnt that Triago “hunts” on behalf of it’s clients – always seeking and acquiring unique and exceptional opportunities for its client base. We developed a suite of brand concepts which expressed this nature through visual storytelling. On further interrogation, we were inspired by the notion that part of Triago’s responsibility is finding “a diamond within the rough”. This is an opportunity which represents a sweet spot or desirable position for its client. We undertook a creative process where we took this conceptual idea from explicit imagery into a more flexible graphic identity system. The goal with brand identity creation is to imply a brand spirit through graphic design without “locking” up the identity with formal usages of photographic images. Therefore, we developed a visual identity which combined a striking colour palette combined with a deltahedra based geometry. This expressed both precious gem like qualities and also represented an interconnected global network of expertise.

The Triago brand and visual identity is deliberately clear and simple. It uses an untethered brand wordmark and symbol combination. This allows the branding to use the Triago wordmark as a stand alone element. The logo wordmark is then supported visually by a series of graphic symbols. These can be freely cropped within containers and then placed on the page. Moreover, using any of the primary brand colour combinations. The brand utilises a striking red colour combined with a complementary cool green swatch. This freedom of usage allows the wordmark and symbol to move around of their own accord. It is also quite useful in instances of restricted usage such as social media channels where the brand is used standalone and the graphic device is treated as ambient support. The stationery and printed communications design utilises a uniquely placed 90 degree wordmark running up the left margin. This maximises the content area available for template content while also creating an attractive aesthetic. Where necessary, the wordmark runs horizontally (Such as an email footer). The brand identity harnesses the bold nature of the colour palette using full bleed blanket colour printing in document covers and image areas. A number of icosahedra (20 sided deltahedra) artwork elements are used in the identity. These are provided with 2-3 different perspectives. Again these can be rotated and placed anywhere on the printed or digital page.

In support of the brand identity, Firedog has created a fully responsive website design and build. We adapted the brand identity into a multi page Adobe XD prototype and fine tuned the web design look and feel through multiple rounds of client feedback. The financial services website design uses the angles within the geometry to create interesting content area dividers. The home page design contains an elevator pitch of the salient brand messages. The brand colour palette is utilised carefully to create various content areas – adding interest and reducing overall reading fatigue. The principals of the geometric graphic devices are extended out into background assets which use triangular fragments containing low contrast gradients – allowing the reversed text to be clearly legible at all times. The information hierarchy is layered; firstly with a light read incorporating key facts. Then, supported with information that qualifies Triago’s experience and skill credentials. The website is built on a WordPress framework incorporating Elementor theme design technology. This allows for the rapid deployment of new page designs and amends without the need for subcontracted development resource. It also allowed for a synchronous design and build environment where the client was able to adapt page designs within the build process. This methodology allows for further testing and prototyping without the need to debrief development teams on resulting decisions. This changes the entire development process from a painful case of going back and forth between the tripartite of Client > Design > Development and back again. The result is a far smoother relationship between design and engineering – with happier teams on both sides of the fence. Early results of the brand refresh process look promising with a larger business and increase in staff count of over 15% in just a single year.