WeBridge Consulting's Rebranding
Web Development, UI & UX
WeBridge Consulting is a one-stop marketing & PR agency driven by international communication.
Based in New York and Beijing, WBC pursues the mission of "We Bridge Brands with the World" by providing brands with globalization solutions.
Devoting to localizing international brands and internationalizing local brands, WBC provides professional services, including brand management, digital marketing, public relations, innovative Ads design, media agent, event management, and international communication for global businesses and institutions.
In 2019, WeBridge Communications LLC. and Amia Union Marketing and Consulting Inc., two marketing agencies focused on international communication, amalgamated into one company - WeBridge Consulting.
WeBridge Consulting needed a redesign. The new logo must adhere to two brands and cater to new potential clients.
In 2021, due to the pandemic, WeBridge Consulting decided to relocate our base from NYC to Beijing. And our Chinese website needed a makeover. The site had not been touched since 2019. As a result, the content and experience were outdated.
- 1 Designer (Me)
- 1 In-house Front-end Developer
- An outsourced dev team
Logo and Rebranding
2019/04 ~ 2019/05
New Website
2021/08 ~ Present
Rebranding
Brief
Redesign WeBridge Consulting for a integrated company image
Goal
Combine two company's brand histories to create a recognizable brand image for two teams.
Approach
I started with research, competitor analysis, and analyzing current designs. This process allowed me to find the right direction instead of 'flying around'. Once the logo was designed, I focused on the brand applications.
Outcome
The redesign made the merger seamless across our team and clients.
Rebranding
Current Design
Amia Union Marketing and Consulting Inc.
The symbol has a weak connection with 'Amia Union.'
WeBridge Communication
The symbol is not unique to 'WeBridge.'
The text can be challenging to read in some situations.
Concept
Traditional Chinese Stamp
Inspired by traditional Chinese stamps, I want to create a modern and simplistic logo that looks friendly for our major Chinese clients.
Final Work
Let the letter 'W' be united into a stamp shape. The new logo is more straightforward, friendlier, and true to WeBridge's business model.
My Role
I see myself as the lead for this project.
In the beginning, I was the only one working on this project and collaborated with our outsourced dev team. In the third month, WeBridge assigned an in-house front-end developer to help me with codes, prototyping, and testing.
My responsibilities are everything from the early stages of research and conception to design and testing.
My Deliverables
Research
Website design creation
Website content copywriting
Documentation of items for out-sourced team
Debug, test and iteration
Tools
Sketch
Adobe XD
Photoshop
Brief
Goal
Improve site discovery, and create an immersive experience.
Current Experience
In 2021, WeBridge relocated the head office from NYC to Beijing. And our company was looking to redesign the Chinese website for an updated and modern feel.
The site needed an updated structure as well as the content. To be more specific, some significant issues the current website had were:
- Lack of content hierarchy
- Outdated visual design
- Failed to introduce the company's critical capabilities on the homepage
Outcome
From research and ideation, I redesigned our Chinese website. The design solution creates an information gateway for our company and attracts new clients.
Website
Website Design Process
Design Research
Primary Research
Internal interviews with department leaders and company boards
Online survey on our existing website
Secondary Research
Competitor analysis
Major Learning 1:
Although we have a 'contact us' button in the navigation bar. Users struggle to find the 'call-to-action' for our existing website.
Major Learning 2:
The website focused too much on WeBridge's history and mission instead of our services.
Major Learning 3:
Existing pages' layouts look all the same.
Website Design Process
Define & Ideate
Goal
Create a digital experience with updated content and info layout
Ideation
Since this was an independent project at the beginning, I focused on the content hierarchy first. I drafted different content structures and internally tested them out. I used a few rounds of loFi wireframing and testing. And finally decided to move forward with a 4+1 storytelling structure.
Build & Refine
Few documentations translated into English
Documentation / Typography
Documentation / Typography
Showcase
Few pages translated in English
The Processes
2021/8 ~ 2021/9
I spent the first month on researches, ideation, design and files proofread & confirmation with out-sourced dev team.
2021/9 ~ 2021/12
Our outsourced dev team did not deliver the site that functioned properly. Developing the site was 1 month late and have some issues that took another 2 months in debugs and fixes.
2022/1 ~ Present
After more than 10 rounds of testing, debugging and fixing, I still saw minor issues on the website that I cannot compromise (Example: incorrect logo file, incorrect nav-bar margin). Our in-house front-end developer join with me and helped the dev team fixed the errors.
Our developer is still working on the project by now. We estimate another 2~3 months for this project.
Test - Fix - Test - Fix - Test - Fix...
Major Learnings
While I keep seeing new issues with each prototype I received, I start to question myself -- what could I done, what could I done better.
Preparation is the key
Documentation is critical when a designer deliver design files. Make preparation for the 'weirdest' situation. Don't make assumptions (well, assumptions can be biased) about developers. Prepare notes and guidelines for everything.
Know developers' language
One of my biggest issues during the entire process was knowing the developers' 'language', knowing the proper questions to ask. Our in-house developer helped me a lot about break down the issues and find the fundamental reason behind.
Testing is a requirement
Some of the issues I ran into could have been addressed with design prototype testing. Spend more time with design prototypes and always try to make a 'better' design.
Less is more
There will be tradeoffs when a designer work with developers. Don't make unnecessary but 'beautiful' components, make the optimal design. The primary goal for any project shall be fully functional and feature-packed in a timely manner.