Early
Brand identity, Website Design & Development
Intro
Early helps ambitious job seekers discover and land their dream roles at world-changing, early-stage startup companies.
Their main product is a systems-oriented job search program that guides job seekers from start to finish through mentorship, a world-class network, and investor-grade resources. Their goal is to make every job seeker's career visions a reality without the anxiety, uncertainty, and loneliness of the job search.
Overview
Founder Kyle Thomas understood the importance of a strong brand identity, having worked at Uber for several years. With a new company name and a rapidly growing subscriber base on LinkedIn, he was ready to invest in a considered, tech-aligned rebranding and a visually cohesive, design-forward website that would attract qualified mid-career applicants.
Challenges
→ Renaming the company from “Upemployment” to “Early”.
→ An outdated website built on Kajabi with lengthy blocks of monotonously laid out information.
→ Due to the uncertain, grueling nature of the job search, potential applicants arrived at the website already feeling discouraged. They were hesitant or slow to commit to the program.
Solutions
We were able to launch the new branding and MVP website, the results being:
→ A polished, dynamic, and modern visual identity that inspires action and confidence and reflects Early’s high-quality systems-based product.
→ A robust, fully responsive website that encourages visitors to apply for the Early accelerator and subscribe to the newsletter.
→ Website content reduction, organization and prioritization.
→ Visual guidelines for social media content.
→ SEO integration using Google Analytics.
Visit the new website
Logotype
The new logotype is derived from the Archivo typeface, a contemporary, sans-serif typeface that conveys professionalism and clarity. Simplified lower-case letterforms “e”, “a”, “r” and “y” keep things legible, modern and approachable.
Logomark
The sunrise logomark, functioning as a period punctuation mark, encapsulates the essence of “early” as a brand. This dual-function design is a simple, sophisticated representation of the brand’s core values.
Central symbol: The sunrise icon, a semi-circle, rises from the horizon, conveying a new day full of potential and the commitment to putting in the work early on.
Punctuation integration: The sunrise logomark is designed to cleverly incorporate the form of a period punctuation mark. It signifies a clear, assertive declaration of intent and readiness to take action.
Colors
Early’s brand colors find common ground in representing the boldness, clarity, and warmth that their clients seek.
Sunrise Orange: transformative energy, positivity, enthusiasm
Gentle Dawn: approachability, warmth, humanity
Deep Focus: professionalism, depth, clarity
Bold Blue: confidence, impact, action
UI/UX Before
— Built on Kajabi
— Limited design customization options
— Repetitive section layouts
— Lengthy text
— No cohesive visual identity
— Cohesive brand identity applied throughout
— Designed in Figma
— Developed in Webflow
— Effective typographic hierarchy
— Clear, recurring CTAs
— SEO optimized
