Group14 Technologies

The Group14 Brand Book is a confidential document, so I cannot present examples of my work within it. I worked alongside my Art Director to create many components within this extensive document. Some examples would be:

The head of marketing recognized the necessity for an adaptive logo to cater to smaller usage scenarios, such as banner ads. To address this requirement, I devised the a new dot grid logo using a 7x7 dot structure. Its versatility and compact design immediately garnered approval, and it has seamlessly integrated into numerous projects since its inception, effectively fulfilling our need for a flexible and scalable logo solution.

Our company faced a challenge: the absence of a cohesive slide deck for our company-wide presentations. To address this, we drew inspiration from Swiss design principles and meticulously created several page layouts for each type of slide needed (transition slides, copy and single image slides, etc). By adhering closely to our brand guidelines, we successfully elevated professionalism and unified our brand identity across all presentations, enhancing our visual impact and consistency throughout the company.

The 2023 social refresh was an exciting opportunity to explore and refine our brand's tone and visual identity in the public eye. However, as we transitioned into 2024, it became evident that our social media presence required further updates to align with our newly established brand book. In addition to refreshing our social media visual identity, we undertook the task of ensuring consistency across all our company profiles found on various online platforms. To achieve this, my Art Director and I meticulously collected specifications for banners and profile pictures from each platform. By integrating new, captivating imagery from our marketing materials and meticulously adjusting logos to maintain proper spacing and adhere to brand colors, we created a unified and polished online presence.

Group14's social media banners primarily featured simple SCC55 imagery, which may not have effectively communicated the company's identity or services. I aimed to create more engaging banners that inspire viewers to learn more about Group14 and effectively convey its industry-leading status and future-driven attitudes. The company mantra, "The Electrification of Everything," is emphasized with bold typography and vibrant imagery inspired by Swiss design. This modern and ambitious approach, highlighted by light lines and creative use of negative space, reflects Group14's dynamic and driven ethos, exuding energy, edginess, and motivation.

My Art Director and I recognized the need to update our company email template to align with the latest brand book guidelines and ensure consistency across all modules. We began by identifying potential module layouts based on past newsletters and defining the characteristics of each element (such as body copy, headlines, photo treatments, etc.). After creating these modules and saving them as templates within HubSpot, we started implementing the styles accordingly. While additional components have been added and some modified over time, the visual system we established has remained in use since its inception.

Group14 aimed to leverage LinkedIn's newsletter platform to communicate key milestones with partners and potential investors. The visual direction for the newsletter banners was to align with the successful 2023 social media refresh. Drawing from this design system, the Currents newsletter hero image served as an editorial complement. By adopting the same principles of negative space and typography, the title spanning the width of the image creates a seamless blend between the edge of the image and the page, enhancing the editorial impact and visual continuity across platforms.

Group14's original YouTube "Perspectives" series thumbnails were outsourced to contractors. When I joined the company, I was tasked with enhancing our channel's visual appeal. Leveraging our existing design system, I aimed to attract more viewers and heighten the video's perceived quality. The thumbnails now feature improved brightness and contrast for a more professional look. Concise, topical copy helps viewers quickly grasp each video's essence, enhancing engagement and clarity and aligning with the goal of providing compelling content.

The recruiting team required a versatile one-sheet to distribute at events. We explored various formats, including single sheets and different folding types like bifold, trifold, and several types of accordion folds. Experimenting with size, ratio, and page layout, we created multiple physical models to test different concepts. Ultimately, we settled on a horizontally long bifold design that balanced imagery and copy evenly throughout, ensuring a visually appealing and informative handout for event attendees.

Before our company one-sheet was established, we utilized postcards with engaging product imagery on one side and clear calls to action on the other. Working closely with vendors, we fine-tuned CMYK ink ratios to ensure optimal image clarity and quality. Through rigorous testing, we perfected paper and ink combinations for each postcard variant. In total, we curated six different images to showcase our product and company effectively. These postcards have proven to be enduring assets as they are still being used to this day.

To capitalize on the construction of our BAM2 structure in Moses Lake, we launched an advertising campaign during the annual rodeo. With the prospect of hundreds of jobs being generated in the area over the next few years, we crafted language to reflect this promise. Our goal was twofold: to generate excitement within the community about our imminent arrival and to leverage the campaign as a recruitment opportunity. We aimed to engage viewers with our print ad by seamlessly blending relevant imagery, compelling promise copy, and an interactive QR code call-to-action.

Before my hiring, Group14's headquarters office in Maltby, WA lacked a roadside monument sign. Upon joining, one of my initial tasks was to conceptualize multiple designs for such a sign, incorporating both Group14 and our neighboring company, Skyline Marble and Tile. This required numerous iterations and consideration of various construction mediums. After the arrival of Art Director Mary Nesrala, the project was finalized, drawing heavily from my initial discovery and iteration phases. The ultimate design was a nearly monolithic - a tall column, with 75% dedicated to Group14 using one of our brand colors and the remaining 25% featuring Skyline.

Upon my hiring, one of my initial tasks was to address a security concern at our headquarters. The large meeting room adjacent to the entryway posed a risk as confidential meetings were often held there, with sensitive information visible from outside. To mitigate this risk, I designed vinyl privacy window covers featuring our brand's dot patterns. After exploring various options, we opted for a half-toning effect, denser at the center and thinning towards the top and bottom, printed at 40% opacity in white. This solution provided some visibility while effectively concealing confidential information during meetings.

Group14's previous visitor safety lanyards and badges were not branded, but were instead generic and mass produced. Moving forward in our efforts to expand our branding to every facet of our operations as possible, we determined that we needed to design custom lanyards and badges. We wanted this design to stand out so that all employees could recognize from a distance when there was a visitor in the facility while also adhering to EHS guidelines. In our build, we used our company's neon yellow color to make it stand out and our contrasting dark blue slate color for the copy and logo. This lanyard also featured my 7x7 dot grid logo.

The collaboration between the Group14 Human Resources and Marketing departments sought to create a series of recruitment event booth assets, including pop-up banners to complement the canopy tent and table displays. Our aim was to convey clear, succinct, bold, and dynamic messaging and imagery to attract potential candidates. To achieve this, we combined our company mantra with immersive product imagery to craft visually compelling banners that would pique the interest of attendees and encourage inquiries about our company's mission.

As part of the collaborative effort between the Group14 Human Resources and Marketing departments, another requested recruitment asset was a branded canopy tent. We explored numerous ideas ranging from simple and straightforward to illustrative and highly designed. Ultimately, we opted for a clean and straightforward design featuring our wordmark and dot logo alternating sides on a dark blue backdrop. The crisp contrast between the white wordmarks and logos and the dark blue background, coupled with the simplicity of the layout, resulted in a professional and highly on-brand design that effectively represented Group14 at recruitment events.

Another part of the collaborative effort between the Group14 Human Resources and Marketing departments was the request for a branded table cloth. The direction for this item was straightforward: a solid color with our wordmark on the front and dot grid logo on the sides. After considering various color options, we ultimately chose a simple black and white scheme to align with our pop-up banners, ensuring consistency across our recruitment event materials.

In response to a request from Group14 executives, we sought to create a classic, refined enamel pin reminiscent of older officials' pins. After numerous iterations, we settled on a 1.5" cloisonné style pin featuring our dot grid logo in the center, encircled by the words "Group14 Technologies" along the edges. The logo and text are raised nickel plating, while the black enamel fill is debossed, providing a sophisticated and timeless design. Due to the unique specifications, we rigorously searched for a vendor capable of producing this style of pin. Currently, the design is still in the production process.

In response to numerous requests from individuals within the company, we decided to create Group14 lapel pins for recruiting events and investor meetings. After several iterations using our wordmark and logo in various combinations of our brand colors, we settled on two designs. The first design features a grey-blue enamel dot grid logo on nickel plating, while the second design showcases a black enamel dot grid logo on nickel plating. These designs were chosen for their versatility and ability to represent the Group14 brand effectively in various settings.

Group14 is a rapidly growing company, and in the early part of 2023 it was announced that they would be building a large, sophisticated factory in Moses Lake named BAM-2. To showcase this new facility and the opportunities it presented, Group14 enlisted an outside contractor to build a website. Upon completion, I assumed responsibility for making any necessary corrections or changes. Leveraging my expertise in Webflow, I swiftly addressed functionality issues and updated visuals with brand-aligned designs. Additionally, I optimized all images to ensure web compatibility and made sure that the website's functionality aligned with accessibility guidelines.

As Group14 continued to grow, the completion of our brand book marked the next phase in enhancing our company's digital presence, with a major overhaul of our website. Teaming up with a contract agency, Group14's latest website now embodies the dynamic, bold, and exciting energy of the company. While my role in this project was relatively small, I was tasked with creating all web-safe imagery and editing/exporting video content for the website. By incorporating more motion into our website, we not only elevated its visual identity to match our online presence but also embraced a modern design approach that aligns with audiences' expectations for future-focused company websites