PROJECT KICKOFF

Our logo design experts learned that ES Global was founded in 2004 by Jinae Kang as a business that would bring happy, healthy American products into the Korean market. In fact, ES Global was the first company to bring many American household names into this new market, notably Happy Family Organics, SwimWays, UGG, and dozens more.

The company already had partnerships and great connections with dozens of American brands. And they are often the exclusive distributors for these products in Korean markets. The success of the business thus far could be attributed to Jinae’s hard work in forging and maintaining relationships, both in the United States and in Korea.

As the business grew, she knew she needed a strong brand to support the growth. She approached Nice Branding Agency for an international brand that would have perception-swaying power both here and overseas.

We were excited to take on the challenge and recommended that the company start by creating a new logo design, business stationery, and a WordPress website. As logo design experts, we knew that we could make a big impact for the company by creating a logo mark for the business that had some meaning behind it. The project kicked off with a creative questionnaire and a few conversations with our client to understand her business inside and out. The ask for this project was really to create a brand that would allow ES Global to compete on an international level and to better convey their professionalism through all of their collateral.

LOGO DESIGN EXPERTS BRAINSTORM DIRECTION

Before we get started, we want to just put this out there. The updated global business branding needed to resonate with brands here in the United States, and retailers in Asia. It also needed to showcase the complexities of their business and be able to grow with company to accommodate expansion into new markets. So, we had our work cut out for us. And as a team that prides itself in having the top logo design experts in the industry sitting right here in our office, we know that it all has to start with research and strategy.

We began by obtaining key information from our clients that pertained to what they wanted to see in their logo and why, who they compete with, who their target market is, and if there was anything that absolutely didn’t want to see in the logo design. Then, we dove into our own research to understand the market and our client’s core values.

Once we had a firm grip on the information, we got to work. We started the logo design project with a brainstorm to identify the concepts we wanted to bring to life. During our discussions, we discovered that the company’s primary superpower was their ability to communicate. In fact, the business that they are in – logistics – hinges completely on communication. 

So, we sketched out a few ideas that would illuminate the communication aspect of the brand. Additionally, we determined that concepts related to global movement and positive impact would work for the brand as well.

FINALIZATION OF CONCEPTUALIZATION

With the sketches in hand, our logo design experts presented their concepts to our Director of Design and Creative Director. The senior team approved the concepts, and we got to work creating them digitally.

LOGO DESIGN

We developed three logo options for presentation to the client.

The first option took on several facets of the business and displayed them graphically. One of the most prominent aspects was the location of the ES Global headquarters in San Francisco. This was significant to us because it bridges the markets, from the coast of the United States over to Asian markets. Conveniently, San Francisco is easily recognized by the Golden Gate Bridge icon, so we adopted this as one of our key elements for the ES Global logo.

Additionally, we implemented the concept of connection. We combined the outline of the iconic bridge shape with a smiley face and two people holding hands. This communicated the happy products and families that ES Global connects.

Finally, the icon takes the shape of a speech bubble to convey the importance of communication in the brand’s position.

Bright colors broke up the different aspects of the design visually so they all would be seen. The palette also emphasized the family-friendly feel of ES Global products.

The second logo option we created was comprised of a modern, clean sans serif font, paired with an acronym icon set in a globe shape and emphasized by lines indicating movement. It took on a fresh color palette that conveys the idea of energy and movement to tell the story about how ES Global moves goods quickly and efficiently.

The third logo option we developed for ES Global used a thicker sans serif font for the type, and paired this with a globe shaped icon once again. Directional arrows indicate the movement of products and aligns well in the import / export industry. The A in Global is created from a carat symbol to indicate positive growth for the companies that parter with ES Global.

PRESENTATION AND SELECTION

A presentation of the logo designs and our thought on how these would play into the development of the brand was given to our clients via videoconferencing. Upon presentation, our clients immediately were drawn to the first option presented. The resulting brand mark represents the joining of the two markets, the family-friendly products and the iconic city that ES Global is headquartered in. With a logo created and approved (enthusiastically, we might add) by our client, we moved into finalizing the logo design.

LOGO FINALIZATION

The selected logo went back to our Director of Design for perfecting. Here, we finalized the design by choosing color codes, including PMS, CMKY, RGB, and hex codes. We also created logo guidelines to provide to our client for safe-keeping.

BUSINESS CARD

With the logo approved and finalized, we moved into the creation of some of the basic branding elements for the business. ES Global courts clients at trade shows and product conventions primarily. Here, ES Global business development representatives work to meet potential partners. If you’ve ever been to an event like this, you know that business cards change hands fast, and it’s important to stand out in a sea of hundreds of vendors. Thus, we wanted the ES Global business card design to be able to stand out in a stack.

We created a few designs, but the final business card design the client selected featured a die cut of the ES Global logo, with PMS-colored edges printed on a super thick, coated stock. The business card includes both English and Korean contact information so it would be able to be used in both of their markets.

STATIONERY PACKAGE DEVELOPMENT

We then designed a set of business communication collateral to align with the design of the business card. For ES Global, we created a letterhead, envelope, and notecard. The professional stationery would equip the team to communicate in a manner that would set them up for success. The stationery package design is impactful and attractive. It clearly displays contact information in brand colors and fonts that are clean and professional. While the client walked away with the print-ready PDF files, our team was able to coordinate printing and shipping for the stationery set.

WEBSITE SITEMAP PRESENTATION

Our third and final project to tackle for the ES Global business branding package was the design and development of a custom WordPress website. We started by creating a sitemap of pages that would need to be included in the website design. We referenced their existing website to ensure that all information on the old site would only be brought over to the new site if it was relevant and helpful to the user. 

WEBSITE HOSTING

Prior to starting the project, we also spoke with the ES Global team about website hosting. Our client chose to have us handle website hosting. This way, we would be able to launch the website on go-live day. By managing the website hosting, we are able to take daily backups, ensure top site speeds, and minimal downtime, and complete regular updates of plugins and the platform.

WEBSITE WIREFRAME

Website wireframing is an important part of the strategy phase where we create a blueprint for the website. The business is somewhat complicated, and even our client had some difficulty explaining it all to us at the start of the project. Often, the wireframe allows a client to talk through the operations of their business. Then, we can streamline and organize the flow, which results in an improved user-experience on the site and better internal operations.

We categorized the services into international marketing, third party logistics, and trade agency services. We then mapped out a user experience that consistently engaged the viewer as they scrolled down the page. First telling them what the company does, then telling them why that’s important, and finally calling them to action with a Let’s Partner call out throughout the website. We further legitimized the business with the inclusion of client logos that tie the brand to big names like Happy Family, emart, Nature’s Baby Organics, and more.

We used our body copy to carefully describe what ES Global does and what kinds of partners they are looking for. Concise, but thorough explanations make it easy for anyone to understand the services that ES Global provides to its partners.

Calls to action all throughout the pages were written to be compelling and consistent, urging the viewer to take the intended action. At the end of the day, pretty much the whole goal of the site was to drive new users to reach out and partner with ES Global. So, we made this super clear on each page.

WEBSITE DESIGN

During the design phase, we made sure that all imagery and copy clearly communicated who the company is and what they offer to their partners.

The header navigation was refined and organized to guide the user through the things they need to know. This was limited to the most important basics: a call to action link, the about us section, and a services page. The rest of the sitemap was linked up in the footer to reduce the number of options presented to the viewer and to eliminate confusion.

Visually, we used the website to cultivate the happy vibe of the ES Global brand. Color blocking was implemented throughout the site to move the user’s eye from one area to the next, consistently urging the user to continue moving toward the calls to action. 

We created icons for the main service lines for the company. By using visual cues, coupled with concise copy, we were able to allow the user to get the information they desired quickly by viewing the icons. And obtain more information if needed by dropping down to the copy below.

Imagery was incorporated, but sparingly. This kept the focus on the services, and allowed us to keep the site relatable for both big US brands and Korean retailers.

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

With the website design approved, we moved into website development. Here, we worked to build the website out on a WordPress platform so that it mirrored the design, pixel for pixel. By handling both website design and website development, we are able to ensure a seamless project from concept to design to launch. Once the website was developed, we engaged in a thorough testing of all pages, buttons, and forms to ensure that every element was in working order. We then presented the staged site to the client for review.

WEBSITE LAUNCH

With the staged site fully reviewed by both the ES Global team and the Nice Branding Agency team, we prepared for launch. Since ES Global was hosting the website with us, the launch was super-smooth. We simply pushed the new website live on their existing domain at an agreed upon date and time. A post-website launch closeout was performed by our team, where we tested all buttons, and reviewed all pages once more.

PROJECT CLOSEOUT

As we wrapped the project, we handed over the logo files, print ready PDF files for the stationery package items, and the website files, WordPress wp-admin login credentials, and training video.

DO YOU NEED THE LOGO DESIGN EXPERTS AT NICE BRANDING AGENCY?

We loved working on this global rebrand project. Connecting with people across cultures is what we do best. If you’re ready to have a branding agency work on your business brand, give us a call.