Office well-being model Life Manufacturing facility has unveiled a brand new visible identification by Gardiner Richardson, centred round a daring, upbeat ‘thumbs up’ image designed to chop by way of the noise of the crowded well being and well-being area.
The rebrand goals to reposition Life Manufacturing facility as a assured, compassionate different to the tech-heavy aesthetic dominating the sector, placing humanity again on the coronary heart of office well being.
In a sector brimming with summary logos and algorithmic jargon, Life Manufacturing facility sought to face out. As a supplier of well-being help for workers and employers alike, the model wasn’t simply providing providers – it was championing a extra proactive, people-first tradition.
That mindset underpins each side of the brand new identification, which was developed in shut collaboration with the Newcastle-based studio.
The studio’s transient was to present Life Manufacturing facility a particular voice and visible identification in an more and more crowded area. “The problem was to face out whereas staying related and significant,” says Darren Richardson, artistic director at Gardiner Richardson. “We would have liked to discover a means of humanising the title.”
Their answer is each easy and placing, within the type of a daring, stylised thumbs up, which anchors the identification and encapsulates the model’s upbeat, proactive ethos. Embedded inside the form is a refined nod to the phrase ‘life’, giving the emblem a layered which means that resonates throughout audiences and channels.
“The ‘thumbs up’ icon instinctively embodied Life Manufacturing facility’s perspective to serving to individuals,” Darren explains. “It is constructive, empowering, and grounded within the self-care zeitgeist. Let’s give life the thumbs up.”
This assured, emotionally clever design transfer units the tone for the broader identification. The visible system is clear, vibrant and stuffed with character. It is a deliberate departure from the sterile, data-heavy cues typically seen within the well being and well-being area.
“Satirically, the well-being sector is more and more loaded with tech, algorithms and related symbology,” says Darren. “However it’s an area that is essentially about individuals. So it made sense to make the model inherently human in kind.”
That concept extends to the illustration model, which is developed to help the model’s service areas and tone of voice. Rooted in surreal, barely playful imagery, the illustrations deliver lightness and empathy to matters that may typically carry stigma or discomfort.
“A few of the areas Life Manufacturing facility helps are heavy with preconceptions,” Darren explains. “So we approached the illustration model as a solution to free these topics up. Taking a extra empathetic, surreal course allowed us to go away issues open to interpretation whereas giving the model a particular feel and look.”
Past the visuals, the model technique targeted on defining a transparent and relatable character. Gardiner Richardson started by talking instantly with Life Manufacturing facility’s target market – HR groups, enterprise house owners and workers – to uncover the actual challenges they face round well-being at work.
These insights led to the concept of the “wingman”, which is a metaphorical associate who understands the fragile stability between employer and worker wants.
“The wingman takes care of individuals to allow them to deal with the enterprise,” says Darren. “It is an empathetic function. Supportive, reliable, quietly assured.”
That character knowledgeable the broader tone of voice and positioning. It additionally helped information selections round messaging and behavior throughout key model touchpoints, from pitch decks to worker communications.
The collaboration with Life Manufacturing facility founder Nick was, in accordance with Darren, a key a part of the venture’s success. “Nick’s need to maneuver office well being away from the traditional ‘head in fingers’ inventory images actually formed the course,” he says. “He was open, engaged and prepared to be challenged on how far to push the design.”
With a brand new model that feels accessible, optimistic and constructed for progress, Life Manufacturing facility is now higher geared up to face out. “The universally recognisable icon tells a timeless story of human encouragement,” Darren provides. “That is a robust concept. It provides the model longevity as office well-being continues to evolve.”
For Gardiner Richardson, the venture offered a chance to display how strategic design can spark significant change. Not by overwhelming customers with information or tech guarantees however by tapping into one thing far less complicated – a second of human connection, a small gesture of care, a well-earned thumbs up.
