Role
Visual Identity Manager + Lead | Lead Designer
Challenge Type
Brand Evolution, Visual System Design, Strategic Alignment
Outcome
Created a dynamic, versatile design system that empowered multidisciplinary teams and successfully expressed the new "Visionary Game-changer" brand personality
The Challenge: Visual Identity Debt
West Monroe executed a major, abrupt shift in business strategy, moving from its roots in traditional consulting into the emerging category of Digital Services. However, the existing visual identity—built for an older business model—created a significant gap:
+ Visual Disconnect: The flat, rigid visual system felt outdated and failed to communicate the firm’s new, combined expertise in consultancy and product design.
+ Lack of Flexibility: The limited color palette and motif hindered the creative expression of multidisciplinary teams, making it difficult for the brand to "look like the future" it was selling.
The visual identity needed to catch up to the verbal and business strategy to credibly position the firm as a digital-forward leader.
My Strategic Solution: Building a Unified, Digital-First Design System
I led the creative team through this high-stakes shift, focusing on systems design and organizational alignment:
+ Strategy-First Creative Direction: Partnered closely with the Chief Marketing Officer and Corporate Brand Manager to ensure the visual identity was a direct, authentic expression of the newly defined Visionary Game-changer brand personality.
+ System Re-Architecture: Directed the foundational design changes, retiring the previous flat design style. The new system incorporated gradients and opacities and fused the existing square and diamond logo elements to visually represent the coming together of multidisciplinary teams into a unified, digital-centric entity.
+ Palette & Versatility Expansion: Expanded the color palette beyond its previous dark, limited use to introduce greater variety and versatility. This ensured assets could be created for digital environments, truly reflecting a modern, tech-forward team of experts.
+ Widespread Execution: Managed the design output across the firm, collaborating with Marketing Designers to ensure the successful execution and adoption of the newly flexible design system across all widespread firm materials.
Measurable Impact & Brand Agility
This evolution armed the entire firm with a brand that could finally communicate its current business model:
+ Empowerment: The newly flexible design system empowered employees to create more versatile and appropriate representations of their work, reducing reliance on the central creative team for basic execution.
+ Strategic Alignment: The new visual language successfully bridged the gap between the firm’s past and its digital future, creating a cohesive brand experience that amplified the value of its multidisciplinary teams.
+ Creative Foundation: This project established the strategic and visual foundation that would later enable the subsequent award-winning rebrand and the successful launch of the Brand Compass.
Brand Launch Video
Video designed by Ghafana and Associates | Content directed by Nancy Mines
Before and Afters
Designs done by myself, Sarah Kennedy, Megan Goerth, and Katie Martin
Make it real
Designs done by myself, Sarah Kennedy, Megan Goerth, and Katie Martin
