Unifonic’s rebrand is more than a visual overhaul—it’s a creative triumph driven by the innovative vision of Pendo’s award-winning creative team. The team spearheaded a complete transformation by reimagining Unifonic’s identity with a fresh digital branding approach, blending timeless telecom elements with a modern human touch. Their strategic branding initiative, inspired by the powerful concept “Where conversations connect,” refreshed the brand and set a new benchmark in their creative showcasing of their innovative brand identity design in the competitive tech industry.
By: Don Cleland, Brand Strategy, Pendo
Unifonic, a customer engagement platform, was seeking a brand refresh as the company was preparing to expand beyond the Middle East to a global market. Historically viewed as a small regional SMS provider, Unifonic aimed to reposition itself as a global messaging technology platform. The rebrand began by connecting with the company’s internal team to understand its culture and history.
During the initial research phase, we noticed that competitors were using outdated, tech-heavy graphics to emphasize their technology. This revealed an opportunity to humanize Unifonic’s brand and approach within the space. This new strategy aimed to showcase people using Unifonic’s platform, highlighting the human connections enabled by the technology.
Inspired by the idea of “Where conversations connect,” we developed a custom wordmark, typography, and graphic system around a universal waveform concept. This was applied across print, collateral, trade booth, office space, culture story, and brand guidelines.
The visual direction referenced classic telecom imagery, with the waveform symbolizing speech and communication. To align with Unifonic’s global expansion, we showcased diverse people connecting through the platform. A custom wordmark complemented the waveform to balance technology with legibility.
Unifonic’s team embraced the brand evolution, uniting around the idea that, while a tech company, their core mission is connecting people. For our agency, this rebrand highlighted the universal nature of communication, adding relevance as Unifonic expanded globally.
Throughout the project, we worked across all departments to drive stakeholder engagement and align Unifonic’s 400 employees before the rebrand launch. A key highlight and a part of the rebrand that we are most proud of is the “Culture Story,” developed in close collaboration with HR. Titled “The Story of U,” the narrative that featured the company’s history and values has become a cherished keepsake, reinforcing Unifonic’s culture and telling the story of how each employee is an integral part of it all.
Additional Information
1. The Project
- A big part of the rebrand was first connecting with the internal team at Unifonic to understand the history and culture of the company fully.
- The company, which started in 2006, was originally rooted in SMS technology (direct mobile text messaging between large user groups).
- Looking at the industry and competitive landscape, we noticed that other brands in the space were all emphasizing the technology with dated graphics and user interface mock-ups to convey what the brand offered. The end result felt cold and impersonal.
- Our research revealed an opportunity to bring a more human side to the brand by showing people using and connecting through Unifonic’s communication platform, with everyone benefiting from the technology.
2. The Process
- We worked closely with Unifonic’s founder to understand their business goals and vision for the future. We looked at competitor brands to get a sense of messaging and visuals throughout the space and to reveal opportunities to differentiate.
- Inspired by the brand idea of “Where conversations connect,” we developed a custom wordmark, typography, and graphic system around a waveform concept that connected all touchpoints. Applications included print materials, collateral, tradeshow booths, office environments, culture stories, and brand guidelines.
- Taking inspiration from Unifonic’s history, the visual direction for the brand referenced early telecom and communication imagery, which centered on the classic waveform—a universal symbol that represents speech and communication.
- Making this relevant today while speaking to Unifonic’s vision to expand the technology and brand globally, we wanted the brand to embrace the idea that everyone is a part of the conversation. We brought this to life through custom photography for the brand with a focus on communication/interactions—showing people from all walks of life connecting through Unifonic’s platform.
Getting into the details…
- Taking the connected communication/technology story further, we developed a custom wordmark inspired by the founders’ Grotesk font family. We chose this as a contrast to the waveform so the brand didn’t lean too heavily in the digital realm.
- In developing the wordmark, we first looked at widening the letterforms, spacing, and stroke weight for maximum legibility. Next, the ‘N’s’ were constructed as a nod to the waveform concept.
- Once we landed on the concept, we extended the waveform through all aspects of the brand, including a custom number set to be used across callouts, large graphics, and signifiers across marketing materials, signage, events, videos, etc.
3. The Impact
- The company’s entire team jumped on board with the brand evolution and rallied around the idea that while Unifonic is a technology company, their work is ultimately about connecting people.
- For our agency, working on the Unifonic rebrand reinforced the idea that despite the individual differences among cultures around the world, communication is universal—something we all share and is innately human. By tapping into this idea, we were able to give the brand even deeper relevance as it prepared for global expansion.
- Post-launch, Unifonic continues to expand into new markets, along with increasing its employee count to help support the growth.
4. The Creative Journey
- Working on both internal and external-facing brand touchpoints for Unifonic required us to literally work from the inside of the organization out. Driving stakeholder engagement and buy-in for a company with more than 400 employees was paramount.
- We were able to do this by working across all departments and teams during the process, which ultimately helped align the company prior to launching the rebrand.
- One of the biggest takeaways for us is the reminder that creative that taps into what it means to be human is universal, with the ability to resonate across cultures and borders.
- Among the touch points we are most proud of is the “Culture Story” we created in close collaboration with Unifonic’s HR team. This required a deep understanding of the culture Unifonic had worked hard to create to ensure it served as a foundation for the company following launch and through times of growth. We developed a “culture questionnaire” that was deployed across the organization and which had exceptional engagement (the majority of the company’s 400 employees leaned in). We worked closely with the founders to capture and articulate the history and trajectory of the company–all woven into the concept of “The Story of U,” a narrative about what it means to be a part of Unifonic. The reception of the piece was so highly regarded by the team that it has become a touchstone for their culture. To help a company of this scale connect with its people through its story is both humbling and inspiring. The actual culture story was produced as a hardcover coffee table book (in its own presentation box), resulting in an enduring keepsake.
Pendo is an award-winning brand and creative agency known for how we think. Through process-driven engagement, we bridge strategic and conceptual thinking, pushing the limits of what brands can be.
