eScribe, an OnBoard brand, is a local governance software provider that specializes in local government, county government, school districts, and special districts. The goal of this project was to raise the bar for the eScribe brand and its overall experience to align more closely with the OnBoard brand and better reflect the eScribe audience. I collaborated closely with the head of branding and the head of digital experiences to refresh the eScribe brand system and web experiences.
We started by gathering the existing eScribe brand book and taking a look into color, iconography, typography, shapes, textures, and photography. The goal wasn’t to change the brand entirely but align it with OnBoard and better reflect the audience and use cases.
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​Local government is required to be transparent and host publicly accessible meetings, and the people are dedicated members of their respective communities. With these key aspects of the eScribe brand in mind, the strategy behind the refreshed brand was aimed to feel more human, play into transparency, and reflect the dedicated waves and movements behind their work.
Research & Ideation
Previous
Color
eScribe makes use of of blues and greens for a formal but inviting hue. We added in purple, coming from the OnBoard brand, and a more electric green as an accent color to call out key information and liven up designs. What we get as a result of this palette is a calming and focused energy with rushes of excitement in critical areas.
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Typography
Nothing You Could Do Regular 18px​
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A pairing of Zilla Slab and Poppins is used to compliment the differing yet unified work involved in local government and plays into the formal but local feel of the target audience. In addition we added a third typeface for key words and eyebrow statements. The typeface is 'Nothing You Could Do', a script font. I chose this addition to add a personal element that makes the brand feel like it’s being interacted with and resemble local governance processes making connections to our audience.
The existing icon set used for eScribe were somewhat basic. The replacement was Unicons Monochrome, a more stylized icon library to fit the personality of the eScribe brand. To further personalize this icon library, two-tone color variations of the icon set were produced.
Iconography
Shapes & Textures
To follow the OnBoard brand, gradients and organic shapes were introduced. In addition, wavelike patterns and glass shapes were included to resemble the transparency of workflows as well as the rippling impact from decisions made by committees and councils. Aesthetically these patterns leave us with layers and motion that help to guide the viewer’s eye and emphasize important narratives.
Photography
When considering photography and our use of stock photos, the goal was to use a diverse set of individuals between 30-50 in meetings, discussions, looking optimistic, and working with various devices. While OnBoard photography is centered around corporate apparel and cool blue hues, eScribe is focused on warm colors like yellows and greens that usually are portrayed through plants and semi-casual work outfits. These are action shots, and they’re meant to look lively and emphasize the product. For treatment of images across the website, subject masking, layers product screens, icons, and rounded corners help to add depth and layering to a simple, now dynamic image.
Shortly after updating the eScribe brand, I collaborated with demand generation to construct a new email design system enabling webinars, events, Atlas, product marketing, newsletter, and general marketing announcements.
Email Process
Figma Brand Library
After launching the updated eScribe brand, I gathered and updated assets and styles into a Figma component library to consolidate files, create efficiencies, and consistencies throughout design processes while also better enabling the freelance team and future stakeholders.
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61 Components | 15 Styles
After establishing a brand direction and assessing the existing site, plans were put in place to update key sections and assets to the new brand including heroes, buttons, product imagery, and testimonials.
Website Process
Heroes
Heroes are one of the biggest opportunities as a first impression on prospects across the eScribe website, specifically across main pages. Previous heroes were very straightforward: content + stock photo. The goal here was to build a much more playful experience including human and product elements that harmoniously blend together with vectors and tie in the message directly into the hero. I worked closely with the web team and their developers to ensure these updated heroes were functional, responsive, and lightweight.
Buttons
When it came to approaching buttons, I saw this as an opportunity to be experimental with our treatment. Previously eScribe had made use of multi-variable corner radiuses through image containers to resemble the eScribe quill mark. While also exploring buttons that included hand-drawn elements, the quill button proved to be much more prominent in drawing attention while still bringing a personal touch.
When considering product imagery across the website I wanted to make that content visually more appealing, draw attention to key functions and show value. Pulling from updated brand textures, product screens are layered with drop shadows to add depth and repeating waves help to guide the eye around the frame and emphasize the scaling impact of their value.
Product Imagery
Testimonials
One of the greatest source of trust for eScribe are the highly regarded testimonials received from customers. With that in mind, it was crucial to emphasize this information. Masked imagery is used to build layers and make better use of space, reflecting relatable and trustworthy individuals. And, stylized icons help to further enhance the playful layout and draw emphasis on glowing reviews.