OVERVIEW

• Originally, this project started out as an exercise in redesigning the ZipRecruiter logo but unexpectedly spiraled off into a fun, in-depth brand redesign with the purpose of analyzing and reconstructing ZipRecruiter's current branding and marketing strategies. The goal was to pivot ZipRecruiter away from big-name personality partnerships and back towards being about building meaningful, career-focused communities while connecting job seekers to the right employers via premier services and engaging visuals. To make this brief a reality, I took time to research industry competitors, review ZipRecruiter's current marketing strategy, collect user data through community boards and polls, and identify key elements that could be changed to better align ZipRecruiter with its user base while refreshing its place as a top job marketplace.

DIRECTION

• Creating a comprehensive client profile for ZipRecruiter involved a deep dive into various aspects of the brand, including understanding its core values, defining its target audience, analyzing its operating industry, and evaluating the competitive landscape. This extensive research served as the foundation for mapping out the direction of my design process, guiding strategic design decisions, and ensuring that every creative choice was aligned with the essence of the ZipRecruiter brand. With a clear roadmap in place, this enabled me to make informed decisions that would effectively communicate ZipRecruiter's value proposition, engage its audience, and drive brand recognition. By leveraging this client profile as a strategic tool, I was able to navigate design challenges, shape compelling visual narratives, and ultimately create a cohesive and impactful design that authentically reflects the core of ZipRecruiter.

CONCEPTUALIZATION

• In the process of developing a new visual identity for ZipRecruiter, I actively sought out inspiration from a wide array of sources, including design blogs, websites, and community-driven platforms. By immersing myself in these diverse channels, I was able to broaden my perspective, gain fresh insights, and stay informed about the latest design trends shaping the industry. By delving deep into these sources of inspiration, I honed in on key elements that would help differentiate ZipRecruiter's brand identity in a crowded market landscape. This informed approach enabled me to infuse my designs with a sense of uniqueness while ensuring that they remained aligned with the brand's values and effectively communicated its core message to target audiences.

• I dedicated a significant amount of time to wordmapping and sketching rough concepts for the logo that truly resonated with the new visual direction for Ziprecruiter. After thorough brainstorming and creative exploration, I constantly found myself drawn to that distinctive "Z" sound made when saying the ZipRecruiter name. Aiming to fully realize my idea for emphasizing that prominent "Zip" sound, my inspiration for the logo design became heavily drawn from zippers, as I wanted to create a logo that was not only captivating but also represented the essence of the brand and really pushed that brand goal of building secure career connections. While conceptualizing, I aimed to capture a sense of inclusivity and innovation while also maintaining a professional corporate aesthetic. I intentionally steered away from redesigns of the chair symbol currently used by Ziprecruiter, as I believe it conveys the mundane and unfulfilling nature of most traditional desk jobs.

DESIGN

• After dedicating considerable time to refining my sketches to a select few of my most compelling ideas, I ultimately arrived at the design you now see before you. The logomark consists of a "Z" letterform shown through utilizing negative space to illustrate the idea of an interlocked zipper. The decision to go with this particular design was based on its exceptional versatility, promising design potential, and ability to embody a modern, minimalistic, and memorable aesthetic. This logomark stood out as the ideal representation of ZipRecruiter's evolving brand identity and commitment to building secure, career-focused communities for employers and job seekers in the realm of employment and recruitment.

• With the logomark in place I turned my attention towards the ZipRecruiter wordmark. Fully committing towards modernizing ZipRecruiter's visuals I dove into my font search looking for the perfect typeface to complement the brand's new look. After rounding up a handful of fonts and bouncing back and forth between them I eventually selected the font "Presicav" as the perfect pick. Presicav allowed the identity to aim more towards that modern, clean aesthetic without full on pushing the brand into the tech industry. To compliment Presicav, I chose Neue Regrade. With its clean lines and balanced proportions, it ensures optimal readability whilst reflecting ZipRecruiter's commitment to accessibility and professionalism.

• On the topic of colors, I opted to leave most of ZipRecruiter's pre-established palette intact. In my opinion ZipRecruiter's color scheme works particularly well in its industry and sets it apart from other competitor's like Indeed's professional blue and Monster's dramatic purple. The brand's use of green really sells that feeling of personal growth and acts as a gratifying nod to those looking to advance and grow within their careers.

STRATEGY & EXECUTION

• In order to create a cohesive and consistent visual identity, I made sure to incorporate elements of the redesigned logo into a good majority of the marketing materials. Throughout the new visual style of ZipRecruiter, you will notice a consistent trend of angles that were derived directly from the redesigned logo. By placing these elements at the core of ZipRecruiter's new look, I was able to enhance the circle of continuity and reinforce the brand's message of connection and support. This deliberate choice was made to further emphasize the mark's utility and memorability, making the brand instantly recognizable and memorable to both current and potential users.

• To effectively promote the new focus on community, I took the initiative to design a variety of marketing collateral materials that aimed to reflect the updated visual identity of ZipRecruiter. This included creating eye-catching social media graphics, clean billboard advertisements, and engaging print materials. In crafting social media posts, my primary focus was to put more emphasis on frequently highlighting community involvement and sharing success stories of job seekers who had benefited from ZipRecruiter, thereby enhancing trust in the brand. By connecting individuals with tangible results and showcasing tools for job seekers to achieve success, I aimed to strengthen brand engagement. For real-world billboard advertisements, my objective was to create designs that were more human-centric, aiming to further cultivate a sense of trust and connection with the public. These designs sought to resonate with viewers on a personal level by utilizing positive emotions with uplifting messages, reinforcing ZipRecruiter's commitment to fostering meaningful relationships with both new users and existing users in the employment and recruitment community.

• As an added objective, I designed small, conceptual portions of a new user interface for the sign-up and job search portion of the ZipRecruiter app. Something more a little more intuitive, friendly, and visually appealing to users vs. the minimally designed pages they have currently. A further fleshed-out app such as this would showcase a robust assortment of community-driven features such as company reviews, forums for job seekers to support and connect with one another, and personalized job recommendations that accurately reflect the user's needs.