Guardian
Founded in 1860, Guardian is
a leading provider of employee benefits. TWA helped revitalize
this legacy brand with a new
visual identity system and the
first integrated campaign in
their company history.
Guardian is one of the largest mutual life insurance companies in the U.S., a Fortune 250 company with more than 8,000 employees and a provider of life insurance, dental, disability and other benefits for 29 million customers. In 2017, the Guardian workforce was aging out, and the brand faced a unique opportunity to take a deep look internally to refresh themselves for a new generation of employees and customers.
SCOPE
Brand Strategy, Visual Identity, Brand Guidelines, UI/UX Guidelines, Signage, Campaign Development
The strategy of the Guardian rebrand revolved around elevating a value the company held true from its founding: Do what’s right. As a company, one question drives Guardian every day: “How can we help?” and over the past 160+ years, Guardian has had the privilege of helping people protect their families, secure their finances and improve their well-being. They’ve helped members of their community get back on their feet quickly when they needed it most. To Guardian, you’re not just another policy—you’re a person. Which means, they hold their products, services and themselves to the highest of standards. Because that’s the right thing to do.
A key component to the success of the Guardian rebrand was to develop a physical experience within their new Hudson Yards office for employees. TWA conceptualized and developed how the brand would come to life across screens, signage and meeting spaces.
The color palette was developed to mimic the brand characteristics as well, bringing a strength and warmth
to the brand. We had a bit of fun with the naming of colors. Hudson Navy represents the future state and strength of Guardian, as their corporate headquarters were moving to the newly developed Hudson Yards, Guardian Mint brings a brightness, and Hugo Blue gives a nod to the creator of Guardian Hugo Wesendonck.
Type and iconography mix rounded edges with open space to create a system that is highly legible and brings a warmth and humanistic feel to all communications. The system flexes to work across digital, direct mail and physical spaces.
The system came together with messaging that ties back to the brand’s roots and driving values, making sure anyone in contact with Guardian feels cared for. Visuals focus on people. Interlocking shapes and the use of circles show the idea of connection, while a consistent color palette brings it all together.
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