Since 2021, Drift has been bringing you human-centric insight and guidance on your employer brand and culture strategies. We are more than a consultancy; we are a thought leadership engine for the industry and we strive to do things a little difference. Generosity is our leading core value. Reciprocity is a close second. At Drift, we believe that our world and its workplaces will be happier, more connected and productive through strong, people-centric strategies. That’s why we contribute to the growing breadth of knowledge in our field about how to put real humans at the centre of all workplaces and workforce culture strategies.
Today, we are announcing a new brand launch: “Love your people.” We couldn’t be more excited to unveil this new creative articulation of our ethos. Drift Consulting is a deeply empathetic brand. At the core of everything we do is a strong desire to make life better - for our clients, our partners and the members of our network. We are on a mission to de-buzzword our industry and engage in HR strategy with approachability, a solutions-focused mindset and an understanding that compassion is key to lasting relationships. We also love to laugh and have some fun. The work can be challenging, but that doesn’t mean that levity and humour can’t be present and important to our process!
So, without further ado, here is the philosophy behind the creative elements of our new “Love your people” brand.
Drift Consulting: Human-Centric strategies for companies that love their people.
The Logos
The hexagon has always been central to our logo design. In spirituality, the hexagon is supposed to represent harmony between the material and spiritual realms. It is often associated with the concept of transformation. This resonates with our mission - when it comes to optimizing a workplace for potential and performance, it’s critical to understand that people need balanced support and a connection to a deeper purpose. Workplaces are continually changing and transforming. It’s our job to create experiences and strategies that are built to evolve with the shifting landscape of the workplace and it’s people.
Psychologically speaking, the hexagon is a naturally-occurring shape, most commonly found in a honeycomb. We associate the shape with bees, universally known for their teamwork and cooperative nature, an essential element for the success of any organization. Further “hexagonal thinking” is an exercise performed in human-centric design and learning to illustrate connecting between ideas, concepts or elements.
So, yeah, we love our hexagons.
But, for our new logo, we wanted to show movement and centricity. The new ‘Drift Hexagon’ is nestled in the centre of a circle, with lines connecting it to either side of the hexagon. This communicates our central idea that everything is circular - we operate with a continuous improvement mindset and understand that the effort we put forth right now will always come ‘full circle’ and serve those who are to come after us. Nothing is permanent, but the impact we make together right now will reverberate into the future. The new Drift logo encapsulates all of this, beautifully.
The Colours
We use earth tones in all our design because of their sooting-to-the-eye feel and the fact that they convey a sense of sustainability and authenticity. This connects to Drift’s value system of Generosity, Reciprocity and Staying True. We have evolved our new colour palette to include three new shades - Ocean Teal, Afternoon Sun and Red Earth. Here is what they mean:
Ocean Teal: We wanted to capture the depths of the unknown sea. You know - that moment when a clear green-blue ocean drops off and becomes fathoms deep. Our Ocean Teal symbolizes decency and renovation. It’s a shy colour, reserved. It promotes clarity, open communication and practical thinking. All of these are tenets of the Drift Way of Working.
Afternoon Sun: We take the positive symbology from this deep, warm yellow. It connotes optimism, energy, joy happiness and connections. In Indigenous culture, it is associated with the West direction, the element of earth and the autumn season. It represents wisdom, balance and stability.
Red Earth: This rich hue conjures imagery of abundant soil, ready to facilitate growth. That’s right - we aren’t afraid to get our hands a little dirty. Red is the universal colour of life and it creates a sense of passion, which is fuel for Drift’s work and purpose.
The Patterns
This is a new element for Drift. Since the beginning, we have utilized solid colours and photography as our primary graphic elements. The “Love your people” rebrand introduces two new patterns that will add interest and depth to our social content and client deliverables.
We operate with a principle that everything should be beautiful, from a slide deck to a letterhead to a chart to a LinkedIn post...to your employer brand. We strive to create art with everything we do. The patterns are based on our logo and build on the sense of movement captured therein. It’s just another way that we invest in your experience with the Drift brand to create moments of insight and thought leadership that resonate and drive meaningful change.
We look forward to continuing to bring our guidance and market-driven insights to you through multiple channels. If you would like to book a “Micro-Consultation” to learn more about Drift, click here. If you would like to learn about “Immersive Learning Experiences” through Drift, click here. And don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram, and connect with Drift Founder & Principal Consultant, Chelsea Howard, here.