KESSEL RUN

U.S. Air Force // Branding & Creative Direction // 11 Months

In an effort to modernize the Kessel Run division of the U.S. Air Force, the DOD sector reached out for a rebranding project. 

The challenge was to update the brand without completely losing any ties and strides they had made during their early stages. The goal was to shed any negative publicity while showcasing exponential progress, maturity, and a highly complex, capable, and self-sufficient division of the U.S. Air Force. 

A Thorough Rebrand

As with any successful rebrand, the first goal was to understand why. Was this a publicity problem? Did their long-term goals no longer align with their core values? How are they perceived currently? Was there any equity in the brand we could build off? Or was this simply a "we feel like we need a rebrand" type of moment? 

Thus, I came up with a multi-step process to audit the brand to determine what was actually needed, what changes we had to make, what could stay,  and how to go about successfully implementing it:  

Step #1 - Build a questionnaire to understand the goal and define the problem. How was Kessel Run perceived/doing with regards to Branding, Business, Culture, and Operations? 

Step #2 - Analyze the questionnaire results and develop a comprehensive SWOT analysis to determine how much of the brand we need to strip down and rebuild, how much aligns with their current goals, and how their current trajectory aligns with the marketplace.

Step #3 - Create a future-proof strategic foundation that aligns their new business goals with their branding core values. Build the foundation for creative development that matches aesthetics, tone, voice, and vision with a measurable business ROI. 

Step #4 - Execution, Rollout, and Refinement. This would tie all the research done and create a roadmap for now and future iterations on how to evolve a brand alongside ambitious business goals and aggressive benchmarks.  

All together, the rebranding strategy would cover 7 different phases, take about a year to soft launch, and about 18 months to fully and seamlessly roll-out a refreshed identity.

Modernized Video Templates

Early feedback from our research indicated there wasn't a need for a full rebrand, nor was there an appetite for it across stakeholders, colleagues, and our core demographics. Rather, all indications pointed towards a "Refresh" and "Modernization".  Thus, for us, it was important to A/B test templates, design elements, communication structures, and messaging tone to ensure we achieved that perfect balance of "tradition" and "modernization", a bridge to being perceived as a maturing brand that was no longer in its infant stages. One area we continually tested this was in our video editing.

Soft Launch

Amongst hundreds of pages of research and feedback, another issue with the Kessel Run branding was the lack of a clear connection between the brand and the work being done within the company/division. It was clear Kessel Run was respected. What wasn't so clear was why they kept losing funding, why they couldn't hire top-tier talent, or why the goalpost kept shifting. It was a brand perception issue. There was a story being told in the marketplace about Kessel Run, it just wasn't the right one. So I made it a priority to tighten up our messaging, include clear design elements that referenced our work within the organization, and establish a clear call to action that aligned with the gravity of our work.