While facing its 10th year of existence, Escola Europeia de Coaching (EEC) was also confronted with a need to change its brand. Way Beyond isn’t just a rebrand of its name and identity – manifestly outdated – but most of all, its positioning, purpose, mission, and scope of provided services.
Before Rebranding
At first, the company tried to execute this rebranding internally. Despite the unsatisfactory outcome of their efforts, it led them to write a compelling “manifesto for a different and unique way of being and understanding the market.” Proximity, the art of conversation, and the power of interactions were all part of this declaration. However, the business side of a company—what it does, why it exists, what services it provides, and for whom it is intended—was absent from this new approach, requiring its target audience to take the time and energy to discover it.
Renaming
More than a name, Way Beyond™ advocates a brand statement that, by itself, determines the motivation, willpower, and ambition to go beyond what is expected. Way Beyond™ is also an expression of an open range, so upon it, the entire range of services can be declined in a structured and segmented way, contributing to the brand and corporate aspects closer to the universe of its corporate audiences.
New Brand Identity
Human, close, and original are concepts that this unconventional brand identity suggests. This original brand serves as a vessel for creating new content that follows the narrative of what Way Beyond™ aims to be and present to the market. Its loosely designed wordmark is accompanied by a design of a square minimalist ladder, the universal symbol of growth, elevation, and gradual evolution that goes step by step. It is a widely universal and, therefore, powerful concept that, more than accompanying the brand, reinforces and enriches its presence.
Illustration Set
The new Way Beyond™ brand is complemented by an illustrative collection of free trait symbols, all immediately recognizable, and whose interpretation serves the discursive narrative of the accompanying content. One significant brand visual reinforces its identity DNA, broadening its horizon of expression and imagery.
Website
Way Beyond’s new website is a dynamic and interactive reflection of their new brand positioning. With powerful imagery and strong claims paving the way for its renewed services segmentation, this new website presents itself not only as a digital presentation vehicle of the company but also as an essential tool of commercial promotion.
The Outcome
This may have been one of the most deeply transformational projects ever developed by Thinkwide. It was a project as demanding as it was gratifying to allow an effective, global, integrated, and consistently executed rebranding, one that was able to cover all the main touch-points that define the presence of the brand in its different contexts of interaction and engagement.
Working with Thinkwide was an example of how we work and want to continue working with our customers: open, transparent, candid, and prodigious: beyond expectations. Their strategic insight and analytical skills combined with a great creative team made the outcome far from what we expected, which was excellent. In this partnership with Thinkwide we had more than we wanted; we found what we needed – a brand way beyond that we asked for.”
João Sevilhano
CEO | Way Beyond
Credits:
Pedro Monteiro:
Brand Strategy / Naming / Creative Contents
Ana Freitas:
Brand Identity / Communication Design
Inês Carvalho:
Project / Production Manager
Infinit:
Webdesign / Programming
Ricardo Lamy
Photography