The Collected Works Transforms Expensify: A Vibrant and Playful Brand Identity Refresh

In an exciting and creative collaboration, The Collected Works, a renowned design studio with roots in New York City and New Orleans, has unveiled a striking brand identity refresh for Expensify. The Collected Works collaborated with Augenblick Studios for a large library of illustrations, Newlyn and CoType for custom fonts, and Antfood for fresh sonic branding. This transformation introduces a colorful and surreal universe that makes expense reporting as enjoyable as popping a bottle of champagne. Building on the momentum from their 2019 Super Bowl commercial, this ambitious undertaking is not just a visual makeover but a profound reimagining of Expensify’s essence.

The new Expensify brand system embodies the vision and culture of the company through a consistent and unified approach across all digital, physical, and product applications. This transformation not only reflects Expensify’s aspirations as they move into the next generation of their product but also creates a cohesive system that seamlessly bridges the playful and practical aspects of their brand.

Typography stands as one of the foundational pillars of this brand refresh. The introduction of custom-type families, including Expensify New Kansas, Expensify Neue, and Expensify Mono, showcases a careful balancing act between playfulness and utility. Working closely with esteemed type foundries CoType and Newlyn, The Collected Works meticulously crafted these typefaces to ensure they maintain their visual appeal in both digital and physical executions.

One notable departure from the traditional color choices was the selection of green as the hero color for the brand. Infused throughout all aspects of the brand, green is complemented by a range of tonalities to cater to various situations, from product design to marketing, while also considering accessibility and illustration, including a diverse range of skin tones for human characters.

With an expanded color palette, it was essential to establish primary color combinations and usage guidelines to maintain flexibility while preventing the app from becoming a visual mishmash. This thoughtful approach ensures a harmonious and visually appealing experience for users.

Expensify’s journey into an animated universe that makes expense reporting exciting continued with Augenblick Studios, building upon the success of the 2019 Super Bowl commercial. This collaboration brought out a new set of characters, vignettes, backgrounds, and simplified illustrations that work iconographically. The recolored illustrations from the Superbowl animation create a sense of continuity and reflect the world that Expensify envisions—a place where you can be your quirky self while collaborating effectively.

The icon system, a crucial representation of the brand, strikes a balance between the geometric utilitarianism of the logos and the organic nature of the illustrations. These icons are designed on a 20×20 grid and are intended to communicate their purpose clearly while retaining a strong and engaging personality.

To round off the brand identity refresh, a suite of layouts, from minimal and utilitarian to highly expressive, was thoughtfully designed to ensure consistency and playfulness across various assets and platforms.

Perhaps the most exciting transformation is the complete redesign of the Expensify user experience. Every detail, from colors and type sizes to the sounds, has been meticulously considered to reflect who Expensify is and where they are headed.

This brand identity refresh marks a significant step forward as Expensify prepares to transition into a new era. With these tools at their disposal, Expensify aims to better connect with their members and partners, allowing them to spend less time managing expenses and more time pursuing their goals. The hope is that this refreshed brand system will add a touch of fun to everyone’s journey along the way. It’s a new voice for a new Expensify, and the future looks more exciting than ever.

All images © by The Collected Works and Expensify. Don’t hesitate to find more inspiring projects in the Graphic Design and Branding categories.

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Source: weandthecolor.com