Today, LEP Digital launched its first rebrand since the company began nine years ago. While retaining its hallmarked bold pink, the brand is otherwise transformed beyond recognition.
The LEP Digital team and its services have evolved and matured over the last decade and our new brand reflects that transformation. The iteration of our 2024 brand is called ‘interplay’ and represents the effect that past and future influences have on each other.
The branding leans heavily on the artistic expressions of the 1970s – a decade of cultural transformation and technological advancements marked by a sense of liberation, individuality, and creativity. Beyond this, we chose this decade for its nostalgic and retro feel, and playful use of movement, colour, and experimentation, which resonates with our brand values.
Layered in this are futuristic elements that are reminiscent of artificial intelligence and robotics. We have created what looks like AI-generated videos of our team’s faces that, while robot-like, are imperfect with picture glitches. This is a comment on the inevitable shortcomings or malfunctions of AI in its current marketing applications.
In shaping our new look, we were inspired by the bold, bright, and free-flowing nature of 70s design. It was important to retain curves to represent femininity, flexibility, and fluidity, symbolising our ability to adapt and transform to meet the needs of our clients. Our process for creating the shapes was, in itself, a fluid process. We experimented with patterns and placement until we achieved what felt right. The result was a shape that felt full, fluid, and three-dimensional like paint escaping from its tube.
Our typeface, Heabeaux, is a nod to Art Noveau – one of the most popular modern art styles of the 20th century, which features prominently in 70s design. The Art Nouveau style was the return to nature, the female form, and sensual flowing forms in art.
Logos, colours, shapes, and sounds serve as important guides for how a company wants you to experience its services. Applying nostalgic elements taps into the power of memory and legacy, offering a sense of comfort and reliability in an otherwise uncertain and changing world. When executed well, this design approach artfully fuses the old with the new to resonate emotionally with an audience while maintaining modern relevance. Interplay seeks to evoke feelings of nostalgia and familiarity but with a future-facing vision.
While our digital presence now reflects the new branding, in the coming months our look and feel will continue to morph and be realised across our website and social media pages. Interplay is accompanied by a curated Spotify playlist that celebrates our creative influences and approach.
