GrowthLoop
Role Freelance designer, brand consultant
Industry Boutique agency
GrowthLoop is a composable customer data platform that empowers marketers to build audience segments, orchestrate cross-channel journeys, and assess results in the data cloud. I partnered with their marketing team to produce all creative assets and rebrand the company.
Identity design and development | Brand strategy | Content strategy and information design | Marketing design and collateral | Event campaigns and graphics | Sales enablement | Decks and presentations | Paid search and display ads | Infographics and data visualization | Long-form content
We built the plane while we flew it.
SETTING THE STAGE
When I joined the team at GrowthLoop (then Flywheel) they had a basic and cohesive-enough brand. But with big plans for growth and increasing collaboration with google and other key players in the space, it was time to elevate their look. However, some of the veteran Flywheelers were hesitant to let go of the brand that had been with them from the beginning and, typical of early-stage startups in go-go-go mode, the founders were not interested in pausing for a formal, focused rebrand.
Rebrand and brandguide
We built the plane while we flew it. The internal marketing team came up with a list of qualities the brand needed to embody - I used this to form the ethos. We then started with incremental shifts to entice and align the founders. I used running projects to explore, ideate, and build out the brand. This led us to a bit of a gulf between the work from the early and late stages of the transition — it was time to finalize and define the new direction. I conducted an audit, identifying what was working and what no longer served the brand, taking performance and stakeholder feedback into account. I then performed a sweeping overhaul of all collateral and assets, and detailed everything in an expansive brand guide.
SETTING THE STAGE CONT.
Nine months after finalizing the GrowthLoop brand, their team of engineers broke ground on a new solution that securely applies AI to the data cloud to reveal campaign insights and future recommendations based on the specific tactics that drove sales. For the first time, marketers could see the actual business outcomes for each audience across any channel or campaign and make tactical improvements based on what made money, not just clicks or engagement.
The Loop
Launch campaign and brand revisions
THE PROBLEM Marketing wanted to repackage all of the pre-existing capabilities with this new one as an all-new, all-inclusive platform — The Loop and execute it as a launch campaign to include a visual diagram, a promotional video, and Linkedin ads. I was also asked to create a new brand pattern to represent “the Loop” in these and all future marketing efforts.
THE SOLUTION While I provided a few pattern concepts to discuss, I felt the addition of another pattern would muddy the brand. Furthermore, I had come to realize the secondary brand pattern (the Circle Pattern) proved to be superfluous and the intended use wasn’t practical. I proposed one final, slightly adapted use of the circle pattern for this launch before phasing it out completely.
Pattern concepts
Final pattern
Linkedin ad creative
The senior product marketing manager and I needed to produce a lot of content with a quick turnaround. I created modular, drag-and-drop template systems in Figma for Linkedin posts, one pagers, infographics, and whitepapers. This enabled me to increase speed and efficiency while maintaining quality and consistency across assets. GrowthLoop team members were also able to be more self-sufficient for smaller items and built first drafts of larger pieces directly into the templates.
Template systems
Linkedin posts
A cohesive, branded template system established categorically based on content type; general branded layouts, blog content, partnership logo pairings, customer quotes, employee spotlight, whitepapers, and product shots. It is intended to be a highly functional, self-serve tool for marketers with a medium or better proficiency in Figma.
Branded one pagers
A comprehensive set of one-pager layouts that provide for different combinations of header, subheader, eyebrow texts, body paragraphs, small and large callouts, product illustrations, product screenshots, partner and martech tool logos, and branding elements. To align with the brand, white space is key. Layouts should not be overloaded, content should be quickly perusable and easily digestible, and color and branding elements should be applied with restraint. The typographic hierarchy system, branded footer, and GrowthLoop logo should be consistent with brand styles and guides.
White papers
A variety of text and image layouts, less designed than an ebook, but more visual than a typical whitepaper. The brand pattern elements are applied to express levity, but with restraint to maintain an authoritative tone at base. GrowthLoop should be presented as collaborative experts in the field.
I use After Effects, Premier Pro, and Canva to create motion pieces, dependent on the needs and constraints of the project.
However, Canva has emerged as a tool integral to my motion work with clients. I am able to create robust marketing promos and video graphics for events and social channels quickly, efficiently, and in a format that others can collaborate on.
Animated product promos
Branded “sizzle” reel
GrowthLoop needed an evergreen, promotional reel that is flexible for almost any use and any industry.
THE OBJECTIVE Excite customers, pique their interest to learn more about GrowthLoop’s services, and illustrate those services in broad strokes using mostly animated vector graphics with strategic product recordings.
THE SOLUTION The marketing director built out a short set of frames to initially map the story she wanted told. From there I crafted the full reel from start to finish, illustrating and designing detailed storyboard frames that paired with clear, directive write ups. They worked with an animator to bring it to motion.
Story board images
Generative marketing launch series
THE PROBLEM When GrowthLoop launched Generative Marketing, they were unveiling the next evolution in marketing innovation and introducing a new category into the industry. This launch also happened to be the first introduction of their new brand to the world. They needed assets to garner attention and drive engagement on Linkedin. Carousels had historically performed very well in the past but Linkedin unfortunately removed that capability.
THE SOLUTION The senior product marketing manager built out two scripts, one for the initial launch and one for post launch. I designed and animated the shorts in canva — this would help us maintain the high engagement of carousels, if not improve upon it, without spending the resources on a major animation. In the first installment, Introducing Generative Marketing, I pulled styles and some graphics from the sizzle reel for brand consistency and content continuity. I divided the content for post-launch into a four-part series. This enabled us to go into adequate detail for each phase of the Generative Marketing cycle and created increased and continuous engagement on social channels.
THE PROBLEM
There are many CDPs that incorporate various tools in the martech stack, data storage, audience targeting, campaign management, or channels and destinations. But most solutions do not include the use of the full martech stack and all destinations, a code-free user interface developed just for marketers, and integrated AI services. Company reps’ time is limited with a lot to look at and, based on feedback from previous years, they found that those reps walk around looking for a select one or two benefits that they want to bring home.
Events
Google Next 2024
THE SOLUTION We identified availability on Marketplace, self-serve capabilities, journeys, cloud-based data storage and campaign action, and generative AI were most sought after the previous year and were trending ahead of the current year’s events. That list informed design for all booth graphics, product promos, and event assets with a visual strategy intended to highlight and flag those items.
Snowflake Summit 2024
THE SOLUTION Snowflake Summit and Google Next share much of the same audience and clientele, so we implemented the same base strategy. However, we had the added benefits of more design real estate, a corner spot with multiple vantage points, and feedback we could apply from Google Next. Our customer advisory board suggested that to attract the attention of our ICP, and those buying now, we should add enterprise security and governance to the list, as well as focus the lens specifically on cross-channel journeys.
THE PROBLEM
Decision-makers are flooded with information about CDPs and turning to search engines for actionable, unbiased information. Marketing wanted to solidify GrowthLoop in those top search results as a reputable, prominent industry resource. But their thought leadership content did not prove the EEAT (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) that search engines (Google) prefer. Additionally, as they introduced a new industry category, they needed strong foundational content that educates their audience.
GrowthLoop University
THE SOLUTION A knowledge base-style resource that provides straightforward, high-value content around key topic areas that relate to their core business (CDPs, Generative Marketing, journey orchestration).
GrowthLoop pages are comprehensive and keyword-optimized. They provide clear, unbiased information that improves GrowthLoop’s EEAT standings. In-line illustrations, content boxes, CTAs, and callouts encourage additional clicks and down-funnel activity. I developed a sub-brand that evokes feelings of trust and approachability, with inspiration from classic collegiate branding that speaks to the primary educational aspect.
