3 Lessons We Learned From Rebranding Gusto

Why a successful rebrand should be a collaboration

A new sign-in page that celebrates humans at work.

July 22, 2019, was a big day for Gusto. We launched a completely overhauled brand and a massively improved product experience.

What happened seemingly overnight started with nearly two years of tough questions: Who are we? Who do we want to be? What do we have to do to get there?

The answers kept pointing to the idea that our brand is our product and our product is our brand. This meant that a new identity system would have to be built by brand and product, together.

Pro tip: Get leadership input early. We led workshops for our leaders to visually interpret our brand identity, which directly informed our creative choices. Images courtesy of the author.

So what’s a brand? And why does it matter?

Well, it turns out to be incredibly elusive, so buckle up. Is a brand a logo? A mission? Your website or customer support? The last interview your CEO did?

It’s every one of these things and so much more.

Brand is in every choice a company makes and how people experience those choices.

The irony of such a concise definition is that it shows you just how big the scope of brand really is.