Brain Partners: Branding for a Chartered Accountant

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Brain Partners Brand Identity

Brand strategy and identity design for chartered accountants who specialise in financial advisory, optimisation and compliance.

Brain Partners are a fast-growing chartered accountancy firm based in Sydney who provide specialist financial services across Advisory, Optimisation and Compliance. The industry is dominated by the ‘Big 4’ consultants; Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG with many other small to mid-tier firms competing for business. Brain Partners wanted to expand operations at home and overseas and felt their old identity no longer reflected their ambition. Nor was it particularly distinctive; and when you are a challenger brand it is essential to stand out against your competitors. We were asked to address these issues and create a platform from which Brain Partners could grow.

See the case history at Propella®

Intelligent Advisory

Founded by Fergus and Melissa Brain (who have both worked at Big 4 companies) Brain Partners wanted to expand their operations in Australia and overseas, particularly in the United States. Our research determined how Brain Partners connected with clients and what made stand out was their personal, hands-on approach, delivering smarter, technologically driven solutions, rather than the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach seen from their competitors.

Brain Powered Growth

Given the expansion plans to the USA there was some discussion about whether a name change would be a good idea. This was largely driven by a desire to have a US style dot com URL, which in the case of Brain Partners was (unsurprisingly) already taken. We advised against changing the name and put forward various options which resulted in Brain dot Partners, giving the new URL a contemporary international edge.

This was a good idea, considering the equity within the name and also because sometimes the lowest hanging fruit offers the best opportunities. And, when you are given a name like Brain Partners you just have to follow your instincts! Our new strategy centred on this gift which suggested the financial intelligence they apply to solving client problems and helping them achieve ambitions. We defined this approach with a verbal pun; “Brain Powered Growth” and created an evolutionary monogram style logo design. It was a simple and modern icon developed by replacing the topmost counter within the uppercase ‘B’ with a capital ‘P’ (for Partners). Thus, we subtly suggest the intelligence offered by the partners at the heart of Brain Partners.

Challenging financial design clichés

Blue is very a commonly used colour across financial services because it is safe and conveys trust. We took the decision to switch to a more distinctive warm red palette to suggest the power of Brain Partners expertise and position them as a leader in their field. To further differentiate the brand we did away with clichéd financial services photography and selected images which suggested the idea of growth. We used the new ‘B’ monogram as a frame to contain this new style and applied it throughout our new website design.

Project outcome

Having relaunched the brand in Australia, we helped Brain Partners launch the new brand in the United States. We continue to work closely as brand custodians, managing creative application and the growth trajectory of the brand to ensure consistency and meaning with new opportunities.