CLIENT / PROJECT
SB&A (Us!)
Rebrand
OVERVIEW
Deciding to rebrand our agency wasn’t an easy decision, but the timing felt right. We were moving into a new phase, shedding and evolving. It was a moment for us to take stock and imagine what the future might hold for us–how could we better represent ourselves as we moved into this next chapter?
It was time to say goodbye to the runes which had distinguished the logo since our inception. They served us well, but we were looking for something more bold and graphic in this next iteration of our branding.
From the beginning, we knew we wanted to highlight the collaborative nature of the agency. We are experts at building relationships and maintaining them–whether it’s with colleagues, clients or partners. As we played around with the name of the company, broke it down and put it back together, it made sense to reincorporate the ampersand into the abbreviated version of our name, so that it would become SB&A. The ampersand symbol is full of opportunities for creative play. It brings an exciting new shape to the identity and truly represents the way our agency works in tandem with others.
Another feature we wanted to highlight was our location. We have been New York-based since day 1 and it’s an important part of our identity–it has defined how we work and who we work with. We love this city. We looked back to the iconic “I Love NY” mark designed by Milton Glaser. We were struck, as always, by the simplicity and effectiveness of it. It also brought our attention to the fact that our new name, SB&A, had 4 figures and therefore new opportunities for layouts. It became a starting point for us to design the stacked version of the logo in which the ampersand can be used interchangeably with a heart–for us, this says it all.
It was important to us that we design a logo that could stand the test of time, in the same way our previous logo did. We wanted a graphic, bold logo that veered away from mimicking current trends and would be able to sit beside contemporary and vintage brands seamlessly. And so we landed on the final form of the logo, using the font Integral CF, which is impactful, solid and versatile.
The color palette is one of our favorite parts. Previously, we’ve limited our brand colors to two or three options, but this was a chance for us to really expand. We wanted to find a palette that could adapt to our every need and really pop in digital executions. The contrast between bright and dark colors and the infinite unexpected color combinations we can create make it an exciting group to work with. We think it adds a whole new dimension to our branding and we love it.
ROLES
Creative Direction
The Soubriet Byrne & Associates logo from 1997-2023
Going back to our NY roots for inspiration
Early sketches for the new logo
The New Brand ↓
