What we did:
- Brand strategy
- Brand naming
- Positioning
- Brand purpose
- Ideal customer profiling
- Messaging
- Verbal and visual identity (including tagline and logo)
- Brand style guides, and other marketing tools.
Challenge
Making You Smile collaborated with VA & Co., an accounting firm based in Troyes, France, during a crucial phase of their business evolution. Formerly known as SOCOFINEX, the company sought to redefine its identity to signify a fresh start and differentiation. This initiative prompted our involvement to craft a complete branding solution.
Solution
Our approach was holistic, beginning with intensive brainstorming and strategy workshops involving all levels of the organization, from interns to managers to co-founding directors, Vincent and Aurélien. This inclusive process reflected VA & Co.’s commitment to fostering a bottom-up culture.
The culmination of this collaboration was the introduction of the new name, VA & Co., which symbolizes the collaborative spirit and co-creation ethos of the firm. Alongside the new name, we helped define the company’s higher purpose: “Co-create a world where we dare to advance differently.” This purpose served as the guiding principle for the development of the brand’s messaging and visual identity. We created a compelling slogan, a distinctive logo, and comprehensive brand style guides to ensure consistency across the core brand touchpoints.
The result of our collaboration was the emergence of a dynamic brand that deeply resonated with VA & Co.’s vision and aspirations. The entire team experienced a renewed sense of belonging, pride, and audacity, which was successfully translated into the messaging and visual expressions of the brand.
Exploration
We wanted a “look and feel” that effectively illustrates their commitment to fostering a dynamic bottom-up culture and their new brand purpose (which we were proud to help define) – ‘co-create a world where we dare to advance differently.’