ZoomBooks Branding
Q2 2024
THE CHALLENGE
Explore LZ Books as its own product outside of LegalZoom and design provocations for what its brand could be, with the new name ZoomBooks.
ROLE
I independently did my own branding exercise, which was used to aid conversations with leaders about how to position ZoomBooks. Then I participated in a week long design sprint with 8 other designers to further explore branding options.
Background
In anticipation of a leadership conference, I created a set of provocations for a standalone LZ Books mobile app that painted a vision for what the app could be in a year. Part of this included exploring a new logo and visual design language.
After getting positive reactions from leadership, we were given the go ahead to officially kick off the brand work as a project. I participated in a brand sprint where multiple designers came together to explore different directions, narrow down ideas, and propose two options for leaders to react to.
Unfortunately, right after the sprint, the project was deprioritized, but it was still very fun and yielded work we were proud of!
Early independent exploration
I went through my own branding exercise to explore different logos, color treatment and potential product expression. The provocation was then shared at a leadership conference and helped influence the following design sprint.
Design sprint provocation
During the week-long design sprint, I was on the team bringing one of two provocations to life. Because our LegalZoom design system is called Negroni, this idea was named Tanqueray, affectionately keeping with the drinks theme.
For the spark logo, multiple lines converge at a central point, similar to how ZoomBooks lets you run your business all in one place. The radiating lines nod to the fanning of pages, which could be anything from a checkbook, paper money, or a physical ledger. It communicates structured organization, while at the same time not being too rigid. The round coin balances the logo’s sharp lines and is set to the top-right to imply an upward trajectory and sense of optimism for the small businesses we serve.
SKILLS TO HIGHLIGHT
Thinking of branding as a system
At first, I was just asked to give input on a set of logos, but I knew I couldn’t just think about logos when thinking about a brand. I wanted to consider the colors, graphic elements, and potential product expression in tandem with a logo, since they work together to portray a brand.
Visual design
I became interested in design because a fine arts and graphic design background. This project was super fun for me because I got to break out of my product designer role and play with things I hadn’t in a while like color and shape. I used ingredients from our existing design system and used them to cook something new! Plus, the explorations helped other designers be more playful with how they utilize the design system.