By Andrea Swangard, Suzanne Calkins

Image by Nicole Todd

When the AWS Financial Services team released the latest edition of its Banking on the Cloud report, it wasn’t just business as usual. It was one of the first assets to showcase a newly launched brand identity. For us, it was a chance to bring structure and creative clarity to a high-visibility moment of change. 

We’ve designed the report for multiple years in a row, each time adjusting to new content, teams, and visual requirements. This year, the biggest shift came not from the updated content, but from the new look and feel. AWS had recently rolled out its new brand identity, and even internal teams were still interpreting how those changes would translate into real-world assets. 

We approached this ambiguity as a design opportunity. 

Planning for change, not reacting to it 

Before diving into full design, we held a few preliminary meetings with the AWS team to discuss the main brand updates and we provided design samples for how it might be interpreted when applied to the report. Our visual exploration started with simplified style frames that showcased new color options, layouts, and data visualization treatments. 

This helped us gauge how far the client was ready to push visually, and where they preferred to tread lightly. By showing high-contrast examples early on, we helped uncover key preferences, gather feedback, and clarify how new visual elements like color, layout, and illustration should be used in practice. The outcome was two big advantages: the AWS team gained clarity on how to apply their updated brand system, and we had the direction we needed to start designing with purpose. 

Working ahead with a flexible structure 

Because content was still in progress, we created a modular structure using sample copy and trend themes. This allowed us to define visual hierarchy, layout rhythm, and stylistic range without waiting for every word to be finalized. 

Once content was ready, we were able to move quickly, thanks to the flexible structure we had set up early on. With clear direction already in place, additional designers were able to jump in to meet a tight timeline without missing a beat. 

Building trust through creative clarity 

One of the most valuable aspects of this multi-year relationship is the trust we’ve developed with the client team. That trust comes from delivering polished design and helping the client navigate ambiguity, anticipate challenges, and make strategic choices that support their brand. 

From rethinking the asset’s cover to aligning visuals with evolving content themes, we brought flexibility without chaos and structure without rigidity. This latest edition of the Banking on the Cloud report shows that design-only engagements can be highly collaborative, and when grounded in the right process, they can move fast without feeling rushed. 

If you’re navigating a brand update and need help translating it into real work, we’d love to help. 

By Suzanne Calkins, Carolyn Lange

Image by Nicole Todd

This year has brought a steady stream of new-to-us brands, each with its own style, assets, and way of working. And just like any new adventure, we weren’t quite sure what was in store for us when we set out. Some of these new projects kicked off at the trailhead with just a color palette and a deadline, while others were already at the final mile—sharing polished brand systems and guidelines. We found ways to adapt to both, drawing on our experience as creative problem-solvers and collaborators to guide each project to a strong, on-brand finish.  

Whether we’re following a well-worn map or forging ahead on what years of expertise tells us, we’ve learned a few things about how to navigate the process.  

Under-developed design toolkits: When we kick things off with a new brand, we typically ask for a design onboarding session where our designers can review available references and identify areas that need clarification. If brand guidelines are light, we’ll look for clues in the wild—published assets, LinkedIn posts, or campaign examples that hint at their intended direction. From there, we guide the conversation: What tone are you hoping to strike? What visual details do you love (or hate)? When the client isn’t sure yet, our designers draw on years of experience and pattern recognition to offer strong starting points and explore multiple options. We help clients see what they want, often before they know how to ask for it. 

Well-established design guidelines: On the flip side, when brands have comprehensive toolkits we carve out extra time to go through all available resources. We also ask early on if there needs to be a brand review process, then build that step into our timelines.  

And now the fun part! Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to recently: 

Neo4j  

We riffed in real time, tested a bolder color palette, and reshaped social posts and decks for more punch. Consistent client collaboration kept the work fresh and cohesive across every asset. 

Google

We drew inspiration from a file-folder motif and ran with it. It served as the basis for navigating a 70+ page document.  

Auth0 (Okta)

We worked closely with available references and brand cues to shape a visual direction that respected identities of both Auth0 and the larger Okta family. 

Carrier

An in-progress Figma from the Carrier brand team became the blueprint for our Lynx design.  

Contact our team to speak with a consultant and see more examples of our designs in the wild.