In a rapidly evolving business landscape, talent solutions providers must not only adapt but also stand out in a crowded market. For Addison Group, this meant working with VSA Partners to refresh their brand without losing their established identity.

Leading the charge was YanYan Zhang, Associate Partner and Executive Creative Director at VSA, who, alongside her team, crafted a brand solution that amplified Addison Group’s people-first approach while future-proofing its scalability. In this interview, Zhang delves into the complexities of the rebrand, the creative process behind it, and how they ensured the brand's enduring relevance.

What was the brief for the rebrand?

I think one of the things that we at VSA do really well is digging in and solving really complex business problems, and the Addison Group work is a great example of this. The Talent Solutions team came to VSA because they knew that there was an opportunity to strengthen their differentiation in the market and point out a unique point of view.

But at the same, they weren’t necessarily looking for a crazy rehaul, and whatever was developed for the Talent Solutions group also had to work for the overall umbrella company.

VSA was able to deliver just that—a new brand that felt really different and authentic to Addison Group’s Talent Solutions, but still fit in with the overall Addison Group brand.

How did the initial pitch/brainstorming phase go?

Very early on in our work together, we uncovered a mantra that helped guide all our work together: “No one gets talent like Addison Group.”

We liked this because it spoke to Addison Group’s unique commitment to building long-term relationships with candidates and clients, and was also a clever nod to their ability to deliver top-tier talent. This mantra, along with additional foundational strategic exercises, really helped us have a strong launch point to explore and develop an expanded visual system.

Once we moved into visual design, we started off by creating distinct territories that reflected the brand. In order to make sure that it would still fit in with the overarching system, we dialed up certain attributes through elements such as colors, fonts, graphics and photography, which helped create something new and unique while still being cohesive to their global system.

In parallel, we did a competitive audit to find out where these attributes could stand out in comparison to what Addison Group’s competitors were doing, and began to further develop the system alongside the client’s team.

Describe the purpose of the brand and its target audience

Addison Group’s purpose is to build lasting relationships—because genuine connections are the foundation to enduring businesses. That informed its new mantra, “No one gets talent like Addison Group,” which speaks to its primary audience of clients looking to find qualified staff and potential candidates, as well as a secondary audience of Addison Group employees.

What was your thinking behind the rebranding solution?

We really wanted to develop a flexible system that had room to grow. We knew the rebrand needed to build off the existing logo and be easily scalable for a small internal team, so one of our primary objectives was to just build something that provided them a clear foundation they could expand.

The initial territory centered on elevating the brand through a more sophisticated palette that leaned into the humanity at the heart of their business. We then further explored how we could develop a graphic language that they could own—including some high-level explorations around the logo itself. Even though they weren’t looking to change the logo, we wanted to future-proof the rebrand by showing them all the possibilities of the new system.

What was the biggest challenge? How did you overcome it?

Not being able to change the logo gave us a tough parameter to work around, but ultimately those guidelines helped us refine the graphics to create a system that really met the brief and successfully evolved and extended the brand.

What kit/tools/software were used to create it?

We primarily used Adobe Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) as well as Figma for digital prototypes.

What details are you most proud of and why?

The new brand system is anchored by the hero graphics affectionately known as “gems,” which are a playful nod to the caliber of talent Addison Group recruits and supports.

The gem shapes are flexible containers that can be used as framing devices as well as connective elements, particularly between Addison Group’s new people-centric photography styling.

What visual influences fueled your solution?

Across all our designs, we really wanted to keep the visuals anchored to the thing that makes Addison Group so special: its people. From the gems that are more symbolic of its unique talent to a photography style that centers around people connecting and fostering relationships, we tied all our design elements back to Addison Group’s purpose and spirit.

What do you hope it achieves for the brand?

We’re really proud of the final result here—it gives Addison Group brand distinction, keeps it relevant to its audiences and offers their internal teams a system designed to be nurtured and grown over time.

How did you ensure that the new brand identity resonated with the brand’s existing audience while also attracting new ones?

Since the brand refresh still embodied elements of Addison Group’s overarching brand, we were easily able to keep the brand recognizable and resonant. We’re really excited about the potential here—the space itself has a lot of opportunity, as much of the competition’s brands felt very transactional.

The recruiting and staffing industry is in the business of people, and Addison Group’s Talent Solutions’ commitment to putting that front and center is going to be really resonate with their target audiences.

How do you ensure consistency in brand messaging and visual identity across various channels and touchpoints?

Starting with a strong strategic foundation is key. Setting up the brand purpose—its mission and vision—helps define the creative brief and provide a North Star for verbal and visual identity decisions.

I think that our emphasis on creating a clear and scalable system is also key to ensuring consistency. You’re never going to provide the exact guidance for every situation, nor should you. The system should be easily adaptable and able to be translated across all channels and touchpoints. It’s all about empowering the internal users to make something great.

Credit list for the work?

Kayden Sparks, Director, Project Management

Doug Gallow, Associate Partner, Client Engagement

Bill Maday, Associate Partner, Writing

YanYan Zhang, Associate Partner, Design

Amber Dunk, Creative Director, Design

Michael Ryterband, Associate Creative Director, Design

Shayna Blinkoff, Staff, Design

Jimi Geiyer, Associate Creative Director, Design

Morgan Itterly, Associate Director, Digital Design

Abigail Williams, Staff, Digital Design

Jeff Schulz, Creative Director, Content Strategy

Bisola Sosan, Staff, Writing

Janelle Blasdel, Creative Director, Writing

Rebecca McNerney, Associate Director, Strategy

Mike Lee, Director, Strategy

Kate Barr, Staff, Project Management

John Reglin, Senior Staff, UX Design

Maria Erdmann, Associate Director, Copy Editing