SteadyCloud: IT that’s engineered to be outgrown

How we helped a start-up for start-ups define its position, elevate its brand identity, and inject some personality into the most staid industry on earth.

Challenge

Differentiate a new player in a crowded category (that almost no one likes.)

Insight

As a start-up itself, SteadyCloud understands the particular challenges founders face as they scale.

Solution

Build a laidback brand in an otherwise uptight category, with a web experience to match.

When three ex-unicorn tech company veterans joined forces to found their own IT service provider, they knew they wanted to take a different approach: keep what worked, and shed what had weighed them down.

They knew what they were trying to build, but they weren’t sure how to articulate it, especially to a skeptical audience. We started our engagement with a Brand Matrix to nail down positioning, value proposition, and key attributes like persona and voice. What emerged was an approachable company that’s self-aware about how its industry is perceived. Where others lead with fear about all that could go wrong, SteadyCloud leads with a zen-like invitation to offload and automate all that’s standing in your way.

A slide from our Brand Matrix workshop with SteadyCloud.

Surfing on Business

The Brand Core that resulted from our Brand Matrix workshop was all about balance: specifically, balancing today’s needs with tomorrow’s ambitions. This notion formed the basis of our new visual identity, which upgraded an existing mark and injected new meaning by turning a static, stagnant symbol into a dynamic balance board.

The palette was chosen to feel familiar (tech blue), but new (more vibrant). The orange hue opposite the color wheel again reinforces the idea of balance, while helping the brand feel approachable and warm. Our bubbly type underscores the friendly persona, while textured elements imply fluidity. Everything is forever in-progress.

Scrolling with the Homies

Subtle (and not-so-subtle) interactions throughout the web experience were designed to mimic what it’s like to engage with SteadyCloud’s team of experts.

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Built on Webflow, we used Lottie Files to incorporate microinteractions that bring the brand to life on the web.

From jumbled type that falls into place, to the “How overwhelmed are you?” sliding scale, the website oozes personality while conveying practical information like services, solutions, and whitepapers.

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View client site

steadycloud.com

Huge thanks to the team at Grown. The creative process was new for us, and we walked away with a better understanding of who we are as a company. Invaluable!

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