Unveiling the New Era of the Business Leader

In the dynamic world of business leadership and innovation, the power of a brand to adapt and resonate with its audience is crucial. When the Business Leader team approached Phable, they stood at a critical crossroads. As a beacon for both aspiring and established leaders, their brand's visual identity and digital presence had become outdated, no longer mirroring the vibrancy and forward-thinking ethos they represented. Phable's mission, under the direction of the Business Leader’s new owner Richard Harpin, was clear: to rejuvenate and inspire the next generation of business leaders by ensuring the brand's image and platforms were not just keeping pace but leading the charge for new ideas and innovations.

With new leadership at the helm and a refreshed team brimming with eager minds, Business Leader was ready to redefine their market position, amplify their voice, and forge deeper connections with both their loyal audience and newcomers. This transformation was about more than just a facelift; it was about aligning the brand’s external expression with its evolving vision and goals. They needed a partner who could understand the core of Business Leader's legacy while propelling it into the future with innovation, precision, and strategic acumen.

 That's where we, Phable, stepped in. Working closely with Minty Nott, Marketing Director, and Graham Ruddick, Editor-in-Chief, we rejuvenated the Business Leader's brand identity, website, print magazine, and restructured and designed their online social strategy ahead of the relaunch of the brand. This project was a testament to our expertise in transforming visions into tangible outcomes, and a celebration of a partnership aimed at redefining what leadership looks like in the business world.

Redesigned Logo - Business Leader

Magazine redesign - Business Leader

Crafting the Vision and Embarking on Transformation

As we embarked on this transformative journey with the Business Leader, the collaboration between our teams was pivotal. Working closely with various teams throughout their business, we sought to ensure that the redesign not only reflected a fresh visual direction but also encapsulated the collective vision of those closest to it. This partnership was about more than just aligning on aesthetics; it was about embedding Richard’s core values and aspirations of the brand into every aspect of our work.

 Richard acquired Business Leader in 2023, after founding and later selling his previous company, HomeServe shortly before. His goal with Business Leader was to create a comprehensive platform that provided insights, tools, and networking opportunities to help these businesses scale and succeed. The idea was to provide a safe space, a membership, for like minded business people to connect, and support one another on their professional journey.  

Crafting New Messaging - Business Leader

Brand Identity: A Modern Professionalism

The refreshed brand identity we developed for Business Leader was the cornerstone of our project. With a focus on modernity, freshness, cleanliness, but deep rooted in professionalism, it was designed to stand out in the crowded business leadership space. We introduced a sleek, classic but contemporary serif font, Playfair Display, and accompanied it with a clean colour palette to embody the brand’s ethos of clarity, innovation, and energy.

Playfair Display - Business Leader

Website: The Premier Hub for Business Minds

Our redesign of the Business Leader website transformed it into a clean, easy-to-navigate hub, positioning it as the go-to destination among competitors for business minds worldwide. We introduced an intuitive interface that made navigating the wealth of resources, articles, and insights more accessible than ever. Enhancements to the site's architecture not only improved usability but also optimised it for search engines, ensuring that Business Leader's invaluable content reached a wider audience. The new website was a critical tool in reinvigorating the brand's online presence, designed to engage users with compelling content and interactive features that foster a stronger sense of community.

We placed a significant emphasis on the members' section, creating an exclusive area where business professionals could learn, receive advice, support each other and gain access to a private group of professional insights, leadership, innovation, and collaboration. This lead to the creation of the ‘250 Founders’ Campaign, which we designed using a monochrome colour pallet, and dynamic typographic logo, to draw attention to the Business Leader’s offering. The campaign was launched to sit alongside the overarching brand, but also act as a stand alone membership, of which the first 250 people to sign up, would benefit in ways to boost their professional networks.

Website redesign - Business Leader

250 Founders Campaign - Business Leader

Print Magazine: A Fusion of Style and Substance

The relaunch of the Business Leader print magazine brought forth modern, stylised layouts, conceptual thinking, and a blend of beautiful typographic treatments with conceptual imagery. We also wanted to create a unique and visually striking illustration style to bring content to life, regardless of the topic. Combining the use of black and white photography, with bold geometric shapes, and gritty textures, enabled us to highlight the realism behind the content, ensuring that their own words and stories remained at the heart of their features.

In our pursuit of redefining the magazine's visual narrative, we've embarked on a fresh approach to photography. Gone are the distant, detached shots of the past. Instead, we've embraced a new ethos of getting up close and personal, capturing the essence of the people behind the businesses we feature. Our lens doesn't just focus on products and services; it delves into the stories, passions, and aspirations of entrepreneurs and industry leaders. Through intimate portraits and candid snapshots, we aim to forge a deeper connection between our readers and the individuals shaping today's business landscape. This immersive approach to photography adds a human touch to our pages, inviting readers to not just observe but to empathise and engage with the individuals and their businesses featured in our magazine.

To ensure our relaunch stood out on the shelves, we made the bold decision to feature a tight cropped portrait of Simon Arora on the cover. This striking image captures his essence, immediately drawing attention and inviting readers to delve into the story he has to tell.

Overall, our approach was to make the magazine not only informative but a visually compelling read that would captivate and inspire its audience of various ages with something for everyone at every stage of their professional career. Each page we meticulously designed to reflect the sophistication and depth of the brand.

Cover design for the Business Leader magazine

Lessons From Another Field - Editorial Layout

Upbeat, Energetic Photography for the Business Leader

Conceptual illustration for the Business Leader

Relaunch issue of the Business Leader - Photography by Rory Lindsay

Columnist Illustration for the Business Leader

Social Media: Vibrant Professionalism

In redefining Business Leader's social media presence, we aimed for a balance between striking vibrancy and measured professionalism. The content strategy was considered, aligning with the brand's new values to resonate with a discerning audience. Through vibrant visuals and engaging, thought-provoking content, we elevated the brand's social media platforms, making them valuable sources of insights and consistently reinforcing the brand's revitalised identity.

Strategic Consistency for Brand Trust and Innovation

Consistency is key in building brand trust and reliability. Our new social media strategy for Business Leader reflects this, ensuring a cohesive and unified voice across all platforms. By consistently delivering fresh, innovative, and forward-thinking content, we are able to showcase Business Leader's commitment to staying relevant and embracing the future. We've abandoned outdated approaches, instead embracing a modern, progressive direction that draws in fresh new professionals and entertains loyal existing followers alike.

Moreover, we ensure the brand remains agile and adaptive, constantly evolving to keep pace with social media trends. This allows the Business Leader to remain at the forefront of digital conversation while maintaining their core values of trust, reliability, and innovation.

Instagram Social Media Designs for the Business Leader

Substack Newsletter

In revitalsing Business Leader's newsletter for Substack, Off to Lunch, our focus was on creating a design that recognized the importance of connecting with today's young entrepreneurs. The use of dynamic typography, with a monochrome colour pallet was another deliberate choice to mirror the energy and forward-thinking, approach of Business Leader, making it clear that while the content remains professional and sophisticated, the brand is also relatable and accessible to the entrepreneurial spirit of the younger generation, accessable to them on the go, wherever they are, at whatever time they need it.

Off to Lunch Newsletter Branding for the Business Leader

Extending the Brand Experience Through Collateral and Events

With the revitalisation of Business Leader's core brand identity, website, print magazine, and newsletter complete, our focus shifted to extending this new brand experience through various collateral and events. This phase was about bringing the refreshed brand to life in tangible ways, ensuring that every point of interaction reinforced Business Leader's values of innovation, approachability, and leadership.

Event Collateral: Celebrating Innovation Across Branches

Business Leader hosts a variety of events designed to bring together thought leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs from diverse sectors. For each event, we created bespoke collateral that not only celebrated the specific branch of Business Leader it represented but also aligned with the overarching brand ethos. From dynamic event branding for the Go-Tech awards to the sophisticated materials for the relaunch of the brand itself, each piece of event collateral was carefully designed to resonate with the intended audience while maintaining a cohesive brand identity across all platforms.

We utilised vibrant visuals and dynamic typography across event invitations, banners, digital displays, and promotional social media templates, ensuring that the energy and forward-thinking nature of Business Leader was felt at every touchpoint. This approach not only elevated the attendee experience but also served as a powerful tool for brand reinforcement in diverse settings.

Event Signage and Printed Magazine - Business Leader Launch Event - Photography Calvin Chinthaka

In-House Branded Documentation: Professional and Approachable

The redesign extended into in-house branded documentation, including updated brand guidelines, business cards, email signatures, stationary, order forms and magazine slips.. Our goal was to ensure that the brand's new visual and tonal direction permeated every level of the organisation. By incorporating the dynamic typography and clean design elements that characterised the public-facing brand revamp, we made internal documents not just more engaging but also reflective of the brand's commitment to innovation and inclusivity.

This also include sales and pitch decks, which we reimagined in engaging ways to exude professionalism and the dynamic energy of the brand. We leveraged the flexible, non-rigid approach of Business Leader's ethos to craft presentations that were not only visually captivating but also communicated the brand's value proposition in a clear and compelling manner. The use of dynamic typography and strategic visuals helped to convey complex information in an accessible way, engaging potential partners and clients with the brand's vision for the future.

Business Card Designs for the Business Leader team

Pitch Deck Designs for the Business Leader

Reflecting on the transformative journey of Business Leader, from its rebranding to the extension of its revitalized essence across diverse platforms and collateral, our cohesive strategy emerges. Our collaboration aimed beyond a visual facelift, laying the groundwork for Business Leader's thriving amidst a dynamic business landscape, nurturing a community of innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs.

This transformative journey exemplifies Phable.io’s commitment to excellence, strategic insight, and creative innovation. It underscores the power of collaborative vision and execution, turning challenges into growth opportunities. As we celebrate this project's success, we eagerly anticipate Business Leader's future impact on the world of business and beyond.

As Business Leader continues its journey, we're excited to be currently working on the upcoming launch of their membership app—leading the UX/UI design as well as continuing to support with their day to day design and content management needs. As we celebrate the strides made, keep an eye out for what's next from this remarkable brand, poised to redefine excellence in the world of business.

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