Case study

Exeter PA Network—charting the next chapter

Case study

Exeter PA Network—charting the next chapter

Case study

Exeter PA Network—charting the next chapter

Long story short

Exeter PA Network (EPAN) connects admin support professionals (PAs, VAs, EAs) across the rapidly growing Exeter area in SW England. The range of the Networks activities is wide: they host a variety of forward-thinking training, development, social and networking events.

Being a key piece of the Exeter business community, the Network needed to refine its vision and represent it in a consistent way going forward.

Result

A cohort of high-profile sponsors has been secured after the rebrand (including the headline and title sponsors). Expansion to cover a larger area of SW England is being negotiated.

The Network continues to grow with more stability underfoot, equipped with a clear identity, sense of purpose and streamlined visual style: getting the recognition it deserves as a result, creating valuable networks nationally and internationally.

Client

Exeter PA Network Ltd

Our role

Strategy • Customer experience (CX) • Brand & visual style • Design for digital and print • Ongoing consultancy

Strategy + Customer experience (CX) + Brand & visual style + Design for digital and print + Ongoing consultancy

Year

2017–2019

→ Exeter PA Network Twitter

01—Understanding the problem

Brand and visual style: owned by many

Kim Glover is the heart and soul of the vibrant SW England personal/executive/virtual assistants community. What began as a grassroots activity grew into one of the UK's leading assistants networks. We joined forces with Kim at a moment of need to recalibrate for the next step. We worked closely together on finding a voice and look that encompasses and supports the Networks many diverse activities.

Due to the width of the Exeter PA Networks ventures and the numerous partners they work with, yet the very small in-house team, an important consideration was a straightforward, uncomplicated visual style that could be easily owned, loved and brought to life by anybody.

02—Tailoring for the real life

Creating a functional, easy-to-use system

Together we set an efficient and productive system for remote collaboration that everybody would be happy to use: EPAN, sponsors, agencies, media and—of course—members.

To make consistency second-nature from the onset of the new visual style, we proposed and created an easy to share and follow set of brand guidelines: a ‘cookbook’ laying out a design system and allowing the style to shine across many channels, events and variety of printed and digital materials.

Together we set an efficient and productive system for remote collaboration that everybody would be happy to use: EPAN, sponsors, agencies, media and—of course—members.

To keep consistency a second-nature from the onset of the new visual style, we proposed and created easy-to-share and follow set of brand guidelines: a "cookbook" laying out a design system and allowing the style to shine across many channels, events and variety of printed and digital materials.

the cookbook: EPAN brand guidelines

‘I appreciated your patience and understanding as I struggled to get my head around the design/branding process.

‘I appreciate all the extra work outside of simply designing the logo, which has enabled me to ensure our brand is represented consistently across our various platforms. I’ve appreciated the support – this has been so helpful and valuable to me.’

★★★★★

Kim Glover

Director at the Exeter PA Network | United Kingdom

organic, humanistic details

first sketches

‘Exeter PA Network supports the continued generation of business across the city and growth of the region... promoting the concept of Exeter being a place to do business.

‘This kind of representation the local region/city couldn’t buy.’