Looking into the future with CX2030.com

I was briefed to review and then redevelop the branding and website for CX2030.com, a thought leadership site specialising in customer experience. The challenge was to finding a way to stand out from the crowd of buzzword-laden, technology-focussed competitors, and showcase CX2030’s in-depth analysis of future trends that can be put into practice today.

Branding

I conducted competitor research and evaluated the existing site content, and then developed the positioning for the brand, which included defining a brand archetype. This boiled down to an ‘explorer’ archetype, intended to position the site as an innovative, adventurous guide to the future of CX for senior executives to seek advice from.

The next step was to develop branding for the site, which I created in line with the positioning document and with the stipulation from my client Chief Nation to avoid clichés of blue and very techy imagery which dominates among the competition. I did this by incorporating organic curves and warm oranges and yellows into the branding. The ‘X’ in the logo incorporates an arrow, referencing the site’s future-thinking ambitions.

Imagery is a key way to differentiate the site from its competitors. I set up imagery guidelines specifying a human-first rather than technology-first approach, and updated the stock imagery used on the site. In addition I created editorial illustrations to accompany key pieces of content.

Site Design and build

I project managed the build of the website, and designed the site myself while working closely with the digital team at Chief Nation as well as developer Jack Lawry of Coded Pixel. A new website was built from scratch, after consultation we opted to build the site in Umbraco because of the high level of freedom it offers in terms of the site design and back end setup. SEO and user experience were key priorities as you would expect with a CX-focussed site. This meant development of AMP versions of pages, and various integrations including with a CRM platform and live chat service.

Results

The site design was well received by Chief Nation’s client Sitecore, and we will be keeping a close eye on its performance in order to optimise it over the coming months.