“Working with Onfire Design was an exceptional experience from start to finish. From the outset, their team demonstrated a deep commitment to understanding our objectives and the essence of our brand. Their intuitive grasp of our business's identity was impressive, leading to a result that not only resonated with us but also ignited a sense of pride across our entire staff. The tangible increase in brand pride we've observed is a direct reflection of Onfire's outstanding work. Sammo, Matt, and Lisa were extraordinary partners throughout this journey, blending creativity with professionalism seamlessly. Their ability to make our brand stand out is unmatched, and I wholeheartedly recommend Onfire Design to any business looking to distinguish itself in a competitive market.” Bevan Guest, NLA CEO
Introduction
Car leasing for Australian professionals offers the opportunity to save them a lot of money over the car's lifetime. Called Novated Lease, the principle is based upon a lease agreement between the car buyer (employee), their employer and the Novated lease provider; in doing so, the car owner can save the GST on a new car purchase and ongoing running costs.
Novated Lease Australia is one of several businesses offering this. Up against larger financial brands, NLA sees itself as the challenger brand in the market, marketing its services to the employee rather than the company. Essentially, they are a digital-first D2C offering in a niche financial sector. As a smaller but rapidly growing business, they aimed to become the top-of-mind for new car buyers. Their issue was that the brandmark and design assets were dated and limited for a digital-savvy customer.
Response
Onfire's response to the challenge was to focus on NLA's proud Australian provenance and a design system that highlighted the ease and simplicity of the offering for all Australians - demystifying and democratising the idea.
Their previous brandmark was a hindrance to these ideas. An unfriendly acronym with a generic car icon is replaced by a simple and memorable 'n' monogram. The curves and movement of which add a sparky energy to the brand tone of voice; this is locked up with the business name in full using a bespoke font. As a legacy item, the existing purple stood out well amongst competitor brands; we tweaked this colour to be more vivid, especially in its digital-first formats. Added to this is a secondary colour palette of coral orange, bright yellow and green, adding energy and a straight-up 'Australian' owned and operated pride. In communications, these colours are liberally used, along with a bold font that is intentionally non-corporate. A full suite of Australians was created as a visual shorthand to the range of people that Novated Lease works with, used in conjunction with real car imagery. These show that by using the service, people can own the car they want and not what their employers allocate them.
Deliverables
Brand Identity, New Brand Toolkit, Communication Suites and Social Media Assets.
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