Noname Security: A brand revitalisation for the first API security unicorn
The B2B tech world moves quickly, but the growth of Noname Security is jaw-dropping. Launching in 2020, they became the first API security unicorn in 2021, making them one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity companies ever.
But this rapid journey meant that their brand hadn’t kept up. It wasn’t doing justice to who they are, and what they represented. It needed to align with its more mature status that goes beyond a scale-up. It’s a perfect example of a brand evolution – how a brand expresses itself, without a complete re-brand caused by a huge shift in the business strategy. Brands need to revitalise as they progress, and it’s a continuous journey.
The process
The Noname leadership knew things needed to change, which led to a challenge that wasn’t quite a brief yet. We kicked-off with the key stakeholders to dig into what they felt worked, what didn’t, and what made them unique. These steps made sure we were all on the same page
Creative design is very subjective, and evolving a brand can mean different things to different people. Success rides on taking people along the journey with projects like this. Sure, people have opinions and preferences of design, but our process removes a lot of ambiguity, and our thinking is rooted in the outcome of it.
The crux of the findings identified a struggle between being an innovative Israeli disruptor brand, their rapid success, and the perceived need to adapt to a more corporate identity to instil confidence and trust in their audience. They have brand equity with their brand and word marks which was so important to maintain. But with a more corporate look, they’d lost their authenticity and personality, putting them at risk of blending in.
Flipping a product-led to a customer-focused approach
Our research highlighted the pitfall of being overly focused on the product rather than the customer. Noname and their competitors had fallen into this trap, emphasising the product and its innovative features rather than the more emotive compelling benefits their solution offers their customers.
Armed with these gems we could then explore the most effective visual brand and design system to tell their story authentically and meaningfully.
Conceptually, we explored the treatment of the square. It represents a ‘safe space’ for their clients, and the opposite, it being a starting point to make progress, advancement and overcoming the security challenges that have held their audiences back. Both treatments lend themselves superbly to motion design, adding a whole new dimension to what was previously a static brand mark.
Concept 1:
Safe space
Concept 2:
Outward agility
Building a brand with motion principles at its core
The brand now embraces their inherent disruptive, young, and exciting feel while instilling trust and confidence through the renewed focus on the meaningful results they deliver for their customers.
A toolkit to propel the brand forward
We created a design system that allows Noname to be more flexible and expressive with the brand. In order to maintain their brand equity, we took a step back to recognise their origin, using black and white colours but accompanying them with a fresh contemporary colour palette that created further versatility through gradients.
A grid structure that builds a secure platform
The new visual grid system allows them to communicate with greater effectiveness. Every element is influenced by the square and built upon the same grid. It not only gives them consistency with the visual language, but also creates ownership, uniqueness and bespoke design.
Absolutely brilliant agency and certainly one of the best I've worked with in my 20+ year career in tech. The combination of creativity, execution, and client service makes Shaped By a true gem, and an agency to put at the top of your short-list.
Michael O'Malley, Chief Marketing Officer, Noname
Putting real world end-users in the spotlight
Making intangible products relatable is a challenge, especially when it might not be on the audience’s radar. That’s why we spotlight real-world end-users and their sectors, showcasing the tangible benefits of Noname. It’s a big leap and fresh approach that goes beyond the product interface.
Working closely with the Noname team and seeing the brand evolve into a more authentic visual communication system has been really enjoyable and rewarding. We're so excited to see it released to the world. We also look forward to bringing the brand to life through its various applications - continually striving to push more boundaries.
Tom Ovens, Creative Director, Shaped By
Elevating the brand beyond a digital-only platform
A brand must work effectively across every touchpoint. Even though this is a digital first brand, with motion as its core, it needed to be versatile enough to work across static and physical applications. The combination of the grid, colour ways and conceptual treatments makes the translation effortless.
