A sleek design system made for marketers
How do you stand out for an audience that’s seen it all? MarcomCentral adopts a system of simplicity.
INTRODUCTION
After years of helping top companies get their marketing resources in order, MarcomCentral saw it was time to bring digital asset management to the masses. They came to Traina for a bold brand evolution, one that was built digital-first and harnessed the ease and agility of a design system. Together, we developed a new brand platform that broke through the noise and focused on what sets MarcomCentral apart: vibrant, beautiful simplicity.
INSIGHTS
Know your audience
In a crowded SaaS landscape, data asset management systems are known for having either not enough functionality or way too much. When Marcom decided to take their enterprise-level solution to small and medium businesses, they did their research—talking with marketers to make a product that had exactly what they needed and none of what they didn’t. Our charge was to bring this spirit of efficiency and minimalism to the overall brand and its digital expression.
We put this spirit into play especially in our UX strategy—streamlining 20+ web pages down to an intentional 12-page user journey that showcases the platform’s organizational strength. Fluid animations convey the sleek user experience of MarcomCentral and create memorable brand engagements on every page.
IMPLEMENTATION
Simplicity and versatility were focal points in the creation of a visual identity. Where competing data management systems left users drowning in a sea of blue, MarcomCentral’s multifaceted platform lent itself to a bolder, vibrant expression utilizing a spectrum of design techniques.
Flexible logo
A multicolor logo design was inspired by the variety of components in the platform, with different pieces all coming together to form a cohesive and memorable mark.
Smooth animation reflects the simplicity in which digital assets are brought together, while the shape language can be deconstructed and used in elements throughout the brand system.
Iconography
A custom icon library utilizes elemental shapes of the design system to convey MarcomCentral’s many functions and features. A spectrum of colors help categorize each individually-branded product environment, clearly delineating between enterprise software and mid-to-small business applications.
Gradient versatility
The colorful gradient canvas used throughout MarcomCentral’s design system establishes a range of color spaces alluding to the fluidity of function and adaptability of the software.
Systemized design
Altogether, the elements of our design system so delivered on MarcomCentral’s core concept of simplicity and multifunctionality that they were brought into the UI of the product itself—becoming a simple, systematized way of presenting tools, components and guidelines to use brand applications in virtually limitless possibilities.
