Since 2016, Radar has been on a mission to connect the digital and physical worlds with location infrastructure for every product and service.

With our most ambitious launches in company history planned for 2023, including [Radar Maps Platform](/blog/introducing-radar-maps-platform) and our [geo-compliance solution for gaming](/blog/introducing-fraud-detection-geo-compliance-solution), we evolved our brand to better reflect the scope of our vision.

The approach

Led by our Brand Design team and partnering closely with leadership, we applied the Discover, Define, Design, and Deliver framework to guide the brand development process. Taking time to identify the challenges and opportunities of the current state of the brand ensured internal alignment and a strategy based on insights and goals of the business.

During the process, the company rallied around the phrase Location Visionaries, which came to describe our brand ethos. This was a brand evolution, not a revolution, building on positive brand perception that we had established as the leaders in location over the last 7 years. It was authentic to who we’ve always been, but bolder and with stronger conviction.

A defined brand platform (the foundational blueprint of our brand identity, including brand ethos, vision, mission, positioning statement, audience, values, attributes, and manifesto) laid the foundation for the creative process.

The creative

The creative process started off by casting a wide net, with mood boards that leaned into certain attributes, or personality traits, of Radar (e.g., powerful, confident, approachable). This allowed the team to quickly explore various styles, tones, and approaches, and to facilitate discussions across a broad range of visual elements, including color, typography, graphic elements, photography, illustration, UI design and interactions, motion graphics, and animation.

Using the mood board exercise as a springboard, the team developed several visual directions. After a few iterations, we landed on a visual theme of Connections. Grounded in our passion for location and location-based experiences, the brand is expressed through polygon shapes, map elements, and 3D perspective lines representing movement through physical space, and how Radar powers the connection between the digital and physical worlds. It has a modern sensibility — all against a bold, refreshed color palette. And it’s designed to work across a diverse range of industries and customers, with modularity and flexibility in mind.

The rollout

The refreshed brand was officially rolled out at our second annual Radar IRL conference, with a new homepage design and brand sizzle reel unveiled during the keynote. The event design itself was the perfect opportunity to push the boundaries of the refreshed brand. We went all in on the bold color palette, graphic patterns, and motion graphic experiences that embraced the more playful and energetic side of the brand — all centered around the pulsing user location dot, of course, to guide attendees through the event space.

Brand and Product design

The Brand and Product design teams worked together to seamlessly integrate the brand refresh into the product experience, and vice versa. At Radar, our Brand and Product Design teams are part of the same org, helping to ensure a consistent and cohesive experience across every part of the customer journey, from sales and marketing to the product.

Look out for a future blog post that will go deeper on our dashboard redesign for Radar Maps Platform.

Looking ahead

We’re not done yet. Up next is illustration development and ongoing work to continue expanding our brand toolkit and improving our design system. We’re still just getting started unlocking the full potential of the brand refresh, all to create better brand and product experiences for our customers and employees.

We’re always looking for exceptional brand, motion, and product designers, so check out the jobs page for openings. We would love to hear from you!