The world we built
- An innovative brand identity differentiated Groundswell from the competition
- Crafting a cohesive narrative with one bold brand voice created consistency across marketing
- Applied both to their website and all branded materials on an expedited timeline
Big picture
When three rapidly growing companies in federal technology consulting combined forces as Groundswell, they partnered with c|change to unite their companies under one brand.
The full rebrand needed to capture the ambitious, forward-thinking nature of this merger—and speak to the company’s capacity to deliver next-level results for their government clients.
“With c|change’s help providing full design, messaging, and implementation support for our merger announcement and corporate rebrand, we enjoyed a powerful reintroduction into our market with overwhelmingly positive feedback from our partners and clients.”
- George Batsakis, CEO, Groundswell
Putting the pieces together
Groundswell felt an urgency to complete the rebrand:
- To unify the brands post-merger.
- To get the word out about the massive opportunity for agencies to better support their missions through digital technologies.
Our team flew to the Washington, DC area to conduct in-person discovery interviews with leaders from all three companies. The leaders shared their vision for the new Groundswell. Where much of federal technology consulting branding feels uninspired, Groundswell would be vibrant, disruptive, and unique. The technology and approaches they use are game changers; their brand should be as well.
Our designers explored many logo and tagline combinations, each with different application ideas. In the end, the idea of “going seismic” laid the foundation for a visual identity that is tech-forward and vibrational to convey the impact Groundswell is making in the public sector information technology market. Every aspect, including the typeface, was chosen to convey a sense of power and drive.
We also revamped Groundswell’s messaging to create a brand voice that served as another differentiator from the typical federal tech consultancy. The brand eschews corporate tech-speak for a voice that is confident, bold, and direct regarding the company’s talent and capabilities.
A new world for Groundswell
A manifesto signed by company leadership announced Groundswell 2.0 to the world.
The new brand and messaging were rapidly applied to their website and a host of sales materials including PowerPoint presentations, slick sheets, and Word templates.
At Groundswell headquarters, employees sporting brand-new swag were greeted by large decals featuring the rebrand. Both helped to announce: Groundswell is here. And we’re hitting the ground running—because this kind of transformation cannot wait.
“Together, we are the change. We are Groundswell.”
- The Groundswell brand manifesto
