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Making a tech brand more human

The challenge

Making tech feel human

From installing remote networks to creating smart buildings, Block help healthcare, education and retail teams get more from technology, so their people can do more for patients and customers. 

But when you’re all about tech stacks, infrastructures and cybersecurity, it’s easy to overlook the most important element of all: the people who use it.

Our task was to combine Block’s technical brilliance with a welcoming feel that focuses on those using the technology — and the customers and patients who benefit from it. 

The big idea

Power to the people

The first task was to define Block’s brand personality. Using brand archetypes, we gave Block a Hero brand identity: a champion of change and enabler of people.

From there, we crafted the brand proposition: the heartbeat of the brand that would inspire how the brand projects itself to its target audience.

With archetype and proposition in place, we moved onto the brand’s design and visual personality.

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“Our proposition of ‘Bring power to your people’ gets to the heart of why Block exists — they’re not a tech company, they’re a company that uses tech to improve services, careers and lives.”

Ben Fitton — Creative Director, Woven

Tech-nicolour

Block’s existing brand felt a little lacklustre. Black-and-white imagery sat against contrasting reds and greys that felt a little too, well, techy. 

To help them stand out — and to live up to their people-powered proposition — we pepped up the colour palette, used vibrant photography and brought in typography and textures to add a refined touch where needed.

To complement this, we crafted a tone of voice that cancelled the corporate speak and tasked Block’s writers with using words people actually use.  

Going live

From first meeting to final sign-off, we delivered Block’s new brand in a matter of weeks. We’ve since rolled it out over reports, ebooks, internal templates and — most importantly — the new Block website.

Block are industry leaders, but their brand made them seem like part of the crowd.

Now, inspired by the passion of the people behind it, the brand is full of energy — defined by powerful statements, emotive imagery and a bold design language that makes technology feel much more human.