Brand strategy and development

BrightHR delivers people-management software that takes the pain out of HR admin, making life easier for HR teams and employees alike. The platform is simple, engaging and customisable – and their culture celebrates fun, courage and individuality.

But while the product stood out, the brand didn’t match its energy or spirit. BrightHR needed an identity that could express their ethos and set them apart in a crowded sector.

BrightHR wanted more than a visual refresh; they wanted a brand that matched their belief in doing things differently. Their mission was to engage teams and customers in a way that felt human, playful and inspiring. To achieve this, they needed a bold new brand strategy and development approach that could capture their personality and challenge the conventions of traditional HR branding.

Workshops with the BrightHR team revealed their culture first-hand: energetic, collaborative and unafraid to challenge convention.

Through a series of immersive workshops, we collaborated with the BrightHR team to uncover a unifying idea: brilliance. This concept captured what their product enables – the time and freedom to be brilliant at work and in life. It became the foundation of the brand strategy, guiding everything from positioning and tone of voice to design and cultural expression.

We helped BrightHR establish five guiding principles – fun, simplicity, courage, zest and love – which informed every creative decision. These came to life in a distinctive identity designed to feel bold, confident and disruptive.

The Xing: a dynamic brand mark symbolising the “b” in Bright, the five principles, and a seal of approval after a moment of brilliance.

Visual Framework: a vibrant colour palette and image style inspired by consumer brands, making BrightHR stand out in a corporate landscape.

Tone of Voice: human, confident and playful – encouraging individuality across every channel.

Moodles: a flexible set of doodles that allowed employees and customers to express mood and personality, from stationery to software UI.

Flexible Guidelines: instead of rigid rules, we created a framework that empowered BrightHR’s team to experiment, adapt and have fun with the brand.

By reinventing BrightHR’s brand around the idea of brilliance, we helped them transform from just another HR software provider into a disruptive, people-first brand. The new identity reflects their ethos, energises their teams, and builds stronger connections with customers. Most importantly, it positions BrightHR as a standout force in their sector – one that gives people the space to shine, both at work and at play.

To launch BrightHR’s new identity, we focused on engaging the people who live the brand every day – its team. A range of branded apparel, tote bags, stickers and accessories helped staff make the brand their own.

The standout favourite was the new set of business cards, designed in a bold range of colours and personalised with each employee’s own moodle – a playful doodle that captured their unique personality. It turned a simple piece of stationery into a celebration of individuality and fun, perfectly embodying BrightHR’s people-first ethos.

To launch the new identity, we created a campaign that brought the idea of brilliance to life – showing what’s possible when admin stress disappears.

Each ad paired everyday HR relief with moments of human freedom and self-expression, turning BrightHR’s promise into something people could feel.

Surfing, paragliding, drumming – each scene celebrated how BrightHR gives people more time to do what makes them shine, at work and at play.