The Glassdoor brand had become transactional and dull, blending into a sea of sameness within the careers category space. It had lost its edge and point of view.

Our brief was to refresh the identity, shifting the Glassdoor experience from being a destination for insights, into a community for real conversations. A key aspect of the brief was the Open Design Process, where we shared creative concepts with the community via the Glassdoor blog and Fishbowl, using their feedback to shape the final outcome.

The core objectives for the rebrand were to return Glassdoor to their rebellious origins, shift perception, and build a bold, digital-forward brand that is inclusive—with the community at the heart of the experience. The rebrand coincided with the launch of a new Glassdoor app experience.

Our budget for the rebrand was $485,000, and the project was launched globally in 20 countries.

The concept for Glassdoor—the world’s largest job search and career insight platform—originated from an incident where employee salaries were found on a copier machine, and shared. This origin story inspired our idea 'Real Work Talk,' strategic framework, and visual and verbal identity, placing transparency and conversation at the heart of the brand system.

The new logo, featuring g/d-shaped quotations, brings conversation to life literally, swinging open like a door when animated. Alongside this, there's a conversational and honest tone of voice, paired with community-inspired illustrations that reflect the black and white copier aesthetic.

We completely reinvented the in-app experience by building a custom typeface, interactive icons, infographics, and motion behaviors inspired by the product experience itself—typing, scrolling, revealing, and revolving like a door.

The primary audience consists of companies and 'Career Conscious Knowledge Workers' who are driven to advance their careers, seeking resources that inform, motivate, and shape company culture.

With the incredible amount of information Glassdoor provides its members, there was a need for a direct and engaging approach to content. The new Glassdoor app experience highlights the most salient data through fresh infographics, illustrative storytelling, and delightful reaction icons, all brought to life via a motion system inspired by the product. As users navigate the app, graphs will appear for their benefit, alongside playful illustrations and user generated content.

To further enhance the sense of community, we partnered a branding agency to create a lighthearted and sophisticated illustration library. The line-art style with copier texture is inspired by the brand’s origin story. Featuring a broad cast of characters and careers, they capture a range of emotions at the intersection of work and life. These illustrations playfully represent the key themes of conversation, diversity, and anonymity—adding levity and humanity to every interaction in both product and marketing.

—142% increase in registrations, with both existing users and new members joining the Glassdoor Community.

—Over 10 million new community members within the first six months of the launch.

—Glassdoor's US web users grew 20% within about a month of launching the new community features alongside the rebrand.

—More than 40 million conversations in over 40,000 communities.

— Glassdoor grew from 3.9 million community members in January 2023 to 19 million community members in January 2024.

Sources:

Data provided by Glassdoor

https://www.fastcompany.com/91016336/super-bowl-ad-teasers-2024-best-ones)