The Challenge Identity Brand and Seagull Scientific
Thousands of global businesses purchase identity brand Bartender software every year. From mom and pop stores to enterprise-level integrations, Identity brand Seagull Scientific is a shared secret for easy, integrated barcode and label creation in multiple vertical markets including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, military, aerospace, automobile manufacturing, printing, and many more.
However, BarTender was stuck in a difficult position. BarTender was seen as commodity software; offered by supply chain vendors as part of bundled high-end printer packages. To break free from the commodity curse, Seagull Scientific hired a full in-house marketing team. The first order of business, as decided by the team, was to update the BarTender brand identity and bring it up to date with competitive software providers. The marketing team knew they needed an easily identifiable mark which influenced brand growth. Ideally, the new symbol might extend to the company itself, as well as mobile and other applications.
The challenge was to respectfully update the 30-year-old logo while maintaining core attributes. Every logo update over the last 15 years had been to incorporate visual symbols and text to define or describe what the software is and does. For example, when the software added the ability to write to RFID tags, in the logo the barcode underneath the BarTender text was modified with an RFID tag symbol. However, at that time, many people didn’t understand the symbol; so RFID was also added to the tagline. With every major software update the logo became more convoluted.
The Process
Jeremy Tank worked as an employee at Seagull Scientific to understand the history of BarTender and the company, in general. Tank explored the ins and outs of the marketing and sales process, the manufacturing and packaging process, and the dynamic market that makes BarTender so popular. This work included a full-day facilitated workshop with the CEO and Global Executive Management Team (GET), monthly Design Team meetings to uncover company-wide insights, mood boards, audience avatars, and a brandscape.
The Result
After debuting the new brand identity with the release of BarTender 2016, Seagull Scientific saw a 147% increase in global revenue. This business surge prompted a move into three new global offices—Bellevue, Washington, USA; Madrid, Spain; and Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.)—with interior design choices reflecting the new BarTender identity. For example, the carpets featured barcodes in brand colors, and accent walls were painted BarTender blue.
