An illuminating brand identity and visual language for the 'Spotify for news'.

Solution

Through in-depth research, competitor analysis and a brand audit we realised that inkl’s strength related to the quality and breadth of their sources, and the curation of this content through a combination of algorithms and journalists.

The brand Self-truth® ‘Illuminating Information’ inspired the logo’s orange tittle which comes to life as an animated spotlight. This formed the basis of the visual approach, including digital ads which reflected the multiple view points inkl provides on every news topic.

Seamlessly blending brand and UI 

The original website looked very different to the app. The app looked and functioned differently on phone, tablet and desktop. The Morning Edition and Weekly Wrap were again stand alone designs.

Using the new brand tools, we redesigned the entire digital ecosystem so that the app, website, emails, and app store now share a unique and unified brand language.

Brand extension 

Aside from curating news from trusted global sources throughout the day, inkl also publish a daily and weekly review via app and email which cover the most important stories, as well as positive (Good News) and unexpected stories. inkl also directly commissions journalism under the banner of inkl Originals.

Some readers consume most, or all, of their inkl content directly from these emails, so they are highly significant brand touchpoints. We designed mastheads to signal the importance of the inkl Morning Edition, inkl Weekly Wrap and inkl Originals as well as the design of the emails themselves.

Illustration

Two types of illustration were developed to add visual interest across communications. The first uses the inkl spotlight to highlight functionality in marketing and tool tips.

The second type of illustration, by Ben Sanders, uses the printed newspaper as a design trope to add some much needed personality to interactions throughout the user experience.

Results

Since the rebrand launched, inkl has experienced a continual rise in memberships with 6% month-over-month growth in revenue, resulting in venture funding being secured.