As a group, Cary Group always communicates through its brands and companies in the various countries where it operates. Each has its own distinctive tone of voice, including colours, imagery, fonts, and logos. These are well-established brands with loyal customers, now needing to speak with a unified voice. This was not only to strengthen each individual company but also to reinforce Cary Group as a whole – both to increase cost efficiency and to create synergies between the companies, from knowledge sharing to becoming a market leader in Europe.

Together, we needed to find a way for all companies to communicate the same message while staying true to their own brand guidelines. This, in turn, would strengthen both Cary Group and the individual companies. A complete rebranding of all businesses across all countries into Cary Group would have been a costly endeavour—not only in terms of re-signage at all workshops but, more importantly, in building an entirely new brand. This was simply not an option.

The solution lay in identifying and creating a new, independent visual element that all companies could incorporate into their brand identities and guidelines—without compromising their own identity. Essentially, a bridge between them. The result? An icon library based on the business, which we then “filled” with local employees who were photographed or filmed. This enabled the companies to easily manage their own social media posts and other activities, while we provided support for larger initiatives involving strategy, creative development, still photography, or animations. We also continuously expand the icon library based on needs and requests.

This solution was embraced by all companies, simplifying their daily communication and strengthening their employer brand – and, in turn, the entire Cary Group brand.