Branding is a powerful tool that helps businesses tell their story, define their identity, and build lasting connections with customers. In my work, I’ve had the opportunity to help shape and evolve brands for startups, new products, and established companies. From the ground-up creation of a startup’s visual identity to rebranding efforts for established companies looking to refresh their presence in the market, I’ve had the opportunity to help shape meaningful, strategic brand experiences. My work spans a range of projects—from defining brand positioning and launching consumer products to crafting the visual identity for TV shows and digital platforms.
Vimeo: Evolving a Beloved Video Platform, Partnering with Iconic Brands
At Vimeo, a beloved and well-established brand, I had the privilege of helping refine and define key elements of the brand as it evolved from a user-generated site to share short videos into a platform for professional filmmakers to showcase and sell their work. This included enhancing the iconic Staff Picks channel and differentiating Vimeo’s paid offerings, Vimeo Plus and Vimeo PRO, to attract and retain different segments of users.
One of my most exciting projects at Vimeo was the launch of Vimeo on Demand (VOD), our pay-per-view (PPV) platform. This new platform allowed creators to sell their work directly to their audiences, providing a powerful tool for monetization. My role in this project involved launching Vimeo on Demand with its own brand that felt fresh, aligned with the Vimeo ecosystem, and evoked the premium feel of other popular streaming services like Netflix.
In addition to developing the look and feel of the platform itself—including creating a new name, logo, and visual identity—I worked closely with our production team to ensure that elements such as a custom title card animation, similar to what Netflix does with its original content, was available as a bumper for original series and films. To be successful, the card had to be flexible enough to be put in front of any streaming content but also feel on brand with the platform to ensure that the content felt like it belonged on Vimeo on Demand, while still allowing for creative expression.
The branding work was integrated into our original series we were helping publish as well. We collaborated with the team behind High Maintenance (a popular series about a weed dealer that debuted on Vimeo before moving to HBO) to shape the visual design of their promotional materials including the opportunity to design large outdoor murals that appeared around Brooklyn, helping to promote High Maintenance and Vimeo together in a unique and visually engaging way that brought the brand to life in the real world.
As Vimeo continued to grow, it became synonymous with elegant and beautiful visual design due to both the work we did on the platform and the amazing content uploaded by filmmakers. Eventually, luxury brands started to reach out to partner with us to hire filmmakers from the platform to produce branded content to showcase in a brand channel. I developed a product to let brands customize channels to match their visual identity while showcasing work from our filmmakers. Read more about that in the Brand Partnerships case study.
TPT: A Comprehensive Rebrand and Digital Transformation
At Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), I led a comprehensive rebrand, transforming the platform from a marketplace of printable resources into a digital-first interactive marketplace. This transformation also included the launch of Easel, a powerful new digital editor for teachers.
For a deep dive into the full scope of my work on the TPT rebrand and the launch of Easel, check out my detailed case studies:
- TPT Rebrand Case Study – Learn about the strategic shifts, brand vision implementation, and impact on user engagement.
- Easel Launch Branding Case Study – Discover how we branded a new product that empowered teachers with easy-to-use tools for creating and sharing resources.
In addition to the rebrand, I collaborated with product managers (PMs) to redefine the site’s architecture and redesign the global navigation to improve SEO. This full relaunch resulted in a 19% increase in traffic and key user metrics, even with a brand new interface. Strategic testing and a phased rollout played a key role in this success.
Building and Leading Brand Teams
Throughout my career, I’ve had the chance to manage both product designers and brand designers under one unified design team. This experience has allowed me to bridge the gap between the user-centered approach of product design and the strategic, visual focus of brand design, ensuring cohesive and consistent experiences across the board.
In other roles, I’ve collaborated closely with brand design teams that reported into marketing, working cross-functionally to align on business goals, design strategy, and brand vision. Whether leading a team or working alongside one, I’ve found that clear communication, shared goals, and mutual respect between product and brand designers are essential for delivering successful outcomes that resonate with users and elevate the brand.
An important aspect of collaboration that I’ve found particularly valuable is the creation of a shared glossary between marketing, product, and design teams. This helps to ensure everyone is speaking the same language when it comes to brand terminology, product features, and design decisions. For a deeper dive into how defining this shared glossary can strengthen alignment and enhance branding efforts, check out my detailed case study on this process:
- Shared Glossary Case Study – Learn about how establishing a common language across teams helped streamline communication and clarify brand identity, ensuring consistency in our work.
Sourcing, Hiring, and Managing Brand Consultants and Agencies
A critical aspect of large-scale rebrand projects is assembling the right team of experts to guide and execute the vision. I’ve had extensive experience sourcing, hiring, and managing external brand consultants, branding agencies, and contract visual brand designers to execute rebrand initiatives from start to finish.
From high-level brand definition to the design of individual brand elements, I’ve worked with various partners, including top-tier agencies and boutique design firms. My experience includes:
- Working with Brand Consultants & Strategists to define the brand strategy, positioning, and messaging, aligning all stakeholders to ensure a unified vision and direction. Leading workshops to align brand identity and vision.
- Managing Branding Agency relationships throughout the entire rebrand process, including facilitating stakeholder brainstorming sessions, defining design principles, and overseeing the execution of visual identity systems.
- Collaborating with Visual Brand Designers to execute specific elements of the rebrand, such as logo design, brand guidelines, and collateral creation. In the TPT rebrand project, I worked with a boutique agency to design a new logo, ensuring that the final result met the brand’s strategic goals and resonated with the target audience.
My approach always emphasizes clear communication, setting expectations, and aligning all parties with the broader business goals. I ensure a collaborative atmosphere where creative input from external teams is valued, and the final product reflects a cohesive and impactful brand identity.
Managing Stakeholders and Translating Brand Vision into Deliverables
A critical aspect of successful brand evolution is working with internal stakeholders who already have a strong, intuitive understanding of the brand but need guidance on how to move that vision into clear, actionable deliverables. Over the years, I’ve honed my ability to manage diverse stakeholders—ranging from executives to product teams—who each bring different perspectives on the brand’s direction.
I’ve facilitated stakeholder brainstorming sessions to help refine the brand’s vision, ensuring it resonates with both the business goals and the end users. From these sessions, I work to translate abstract ideas into concrete elements, such as:
- Brand Colors: Choosing a color palette that reflects the brand’s personality, appeals to the target audience, and maintains consistency across all touchpoints.
- Brand Language: Defining a brand voice and tone that aligns with the company’s values and mission, ensuring that messaging resonates across all channels and with the right audience.
- Site Architecture: Redesigning and optimizing website architecture to reflect the brand’s evolution, ensuring a seamless user experience while maintaining the brand’s core messaging.
- Logos and Visual Identity: Designing a logo that captures the essence of the brand while being flexible enough to adapt to future growth.
As part of my process, I’ve also defined brand positioning for executive-level understanding, using tools like user polling and Net Promoter Score (NPS) to ensure that the brand remains aligned with customer sentiment throughout its evolution. Translating how to preserve user sentiment while a brand evolves is key to ensuring the new identity is embraced by both internal stakeholders and external audiences.
Branding for New Startups, Consumer Products, and even TV Shows
After my work at TPT, I have been able to leverage my branding experience to work on a diverse range of exciting projects, including new startups, consumer products, and even TV shows. This has allowed me to apply my brand strategy and design skills in various industries, where I’ve helped companies establish strong, differentiated brands right from the start.
- Startups: I’ve worked with early-stage companies to define their brand identity, create memorable brand stories, and craft visual elements that resonate with their target audiences. From logo design to crafting a brand voice, I help startups develop the foundational aspects of their brand that will grow with them.
- Consumer Products: For consumer product lines, I’ve collaborated closely with product development teams to create cohesive branding that connects with consumers at every touchpoint, from packaging to marketing collateral. Ensuring that the product’s branding stands out on the shelf and creates a strong emotional connection with the audience has been a key focus.
- TV Shows: I’ve continued to work with producers to design and establish the visual identity for TV shows, helping to craft logos, key art, and promotional materials that capture the essence of the show and attract its target viewership. It’s a unique challenge to create a brand for a TV show that resonates with both the audience and the network, but it’s one that I’ve embraced with great success.
Are You Updating Your Brand or Launching a Product?
I’m available for consultation, contract, or full-time work to help you take your brand to the next level. Let’s chat about how I can contribute to your next project.
Justin Dickinson 
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