2 months ago
The Story Behind Our Values: Developing a Fully-Fledged Creative Concept from Scratch
When we began defining our core values, we knew they had to be meaningful, but not in the abstract corporate sense. We needed them to appeal to one specific demographic: the Scalefocus family. That is why we asked our people to contribute. We reached out to teammates across the company and developed 4 key directions that we then polished.
Once we had developed the concept for each of the values, we started thinking about the visual representation. We knew that creating compelling graphics could only happen if they were built on real meaning. To get to the visual essence, we focused on keywords. We began contextualizing them to lay the foundations of the values’ visual side. The goal was to use 4 powerful symbols that all embody a specific aspect of our ethos.
Our visual approach
It was important to us to bring our values to life in a simple, yet powerful way. That is why we chose to use pictograms, a form of visual communication that has been around for millennia — when ancient civilizations used to tell stories through drawings. Today they are still widely used as a quick and intuitive way to convey information (road signs, digital icons, information boards).
Our company operates in a binary world, think zeros and ones, hence our choice to use lines and circles. Simplicity is where true genius lies.
We make in impact
The impact of a simple drop falling into the water might be so powerful as to trigger a tsunami, miles away. The 3 simple circles symbolize a ripple effect in the water and embody this metaphor. Our brand represents the idea that every action we take has an impact, much like a drop creating ripples in the water. The reason we chose the color blue, apart from the fact that it’s the primary color of our brand and the color of water, is that it stands for stability, trust, wisdom, and innovation. By combining the symbolism of blue with the ripple effect we emphasize that our actions have far-reaching effects.
We achieve more together
This one is built by 9 circles forming a square. The circles symbolize each individual in the company and how they fit together to form a community by sharing, connecting, problem solving, and building relationships. We are stronger and more capable together than we are alone. The highlighted yellow circle in the top left corner represents the leader—in a team, in a project, or of the company. The reason we chose the color yellow is because it is associated with optimism, positivity, energy, and friendship. These are characteristics that we believe are essential to being a successful team player.
We take on responsibility
For us, taking on responsibility means acknowledging every decision we make, big or small, has consequences. The 6 lines in a row symbolize the importance of each decision showing that the first one sets the tone for what follows. By assuming responsibility, we embrace ownership and accountability. We chose the strong red color because it symbolizes attention, passion, sacrifice, and urgency. It represents a sense of alertness, demands attention, and is associated with passion and intensity.
We never settle
Never settling is constantly pushing forward and striving for progress, but also being resilient and bouncing back from challenges, just like a wave does. The green wave highlights the foundation of our journey and serves as a reminder of our progress. The reason why we chose the green color, apart from it being the most ‘positive’ color, is that it’s often associated with growth, movement, renewal, and hope. In the context of the value “Never settle,” we emphasize the idea of continuous development and progress, and our hope for an even brighter future.
Incorporating the values into our culture: merch and digital assets
The best way to express а shared commitment to our values is by incorporating them into daily life. To do that, we released T-shirts, bandanas, notebooks, mugs, and other products in our ScaleUp loyalty store. Our beautiful beach towels, for example, bring a new level of coolness to everyone’s summer vacation.
We also created ScaleUp badges with the values to encourage teammates to send each other points and use them to purchase branded items of choice. Additionally, we designed plenty of digital assets, including an MS Teams background, dynamic desktop and mobile wallpapers, profile picture frames, social media cover photos, and PowerPoint templates.
Defining what we value helps us value it more
At Scalefocus we believe that people come first. The values we defined serve no other purpose than to remind every team member that we belong to a greater whole and every day we work toward the same goals. This amplifies our sense of purpose, our sense of community, and helps us understand the ‘why’ behind everything we do. The feedback about the values from everyone at the company has been exceptionally positive and cemented our conviction that they are the fundament to having a shared purpose and mission.
