The science of social media marketing

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I worked closely with Social Elements every step of the way to develop the new brand identity – from discovery, research and strategy through to concepts, refinements and implementation.

The new brand identity was designed strategically to reflect the brand’s scientific focus as well as demonstrate its straight-talking brand personality. I set out to create a look that felt professional but non-corporate, to align with the agile nature of Social Elements’ small business. Inspired by modern beauty branding, the styling has a scientific and aspirational tone.

Although Social Elements has a clear scientific niche, social media totally revolves around human engagement. I designed the new logo to tell this story, deliberately avoiding obvious visual clichés. The result is a simple, relevant logo that combines both themes: the solid area forms a pill shape to represent pharmaceutical healthcare, yet there are also speech bubbles ‘hidden’ in the negative space to show the social element (pardon the pun).

The ‘hidden’ speech bubbles from the logo icon are also used independently throughout the identity. Repetition aids brand recognition, and they can be seen on the distinctive brand icons, patterns and a graphic device on designed materials, creating familiarity.

Another strong brand identifier is the energetic colour palette of ice blue, mint and violet. Distinctive gradients feature heavily to lighten the tone and and give a vibrant screen presence. These fresh shades have a purposeful attitude, hinting at Social Elements’ innovative and creative qualities. The brand may be thorough in its approach – but it’s not boring!

The sans serif brand typeface was chosen for its modern tech feel. Just one typeface is needed to create a simple statement online. Different sizes and weights provide a clear hierarchy on design layouts.

Image style is also important to unify the brand, so I selected a range of royalty free images with a generic scientific feel, such as close ups of cells, to tie in and reinforce the colour palette. A brilliant brand shoot by Zoe Cooper helps bring a personal touch to the brand.

Used together, the suite of visual elements come to life. The clean and clear visual aesthetic demonstrates the brand’s confident personality. The result is a robust visual identity: the plain-speaking, creative brand empowers its clients and takes its role seriously.

As well as designing a new brand identity, Beehive Green studio has provided comprehensive brand guidelines, printed promotional material and a suite of digital templates. These are invaluable – the agency can use the Word, PowerPoint and Canva templates to produce communications in-house that are completely on-brand.

Social Elements branding is now spot on, ready to create a reputation in its sector. Founder Lisa says it has helped them to be more consistent and stand out. Since launching the new identity the agency has team has grown its team and attracted a range of new clients. Niching has been great for business!