Zuora

At its core, Zuora empowers businesses to do things differently. Partnering with leading enterprises around the world, Zuora helps its customers grow, run, or build their subscription services, unlocking a new way of doing business.

These enterprises are pivoting or expanding existing products or services, seeking the long-term sustainability that recurring revenue delivers. Subscription-based offerings also work to meet customers where they are, creating payment solutions that meet customer demand and foster enduring company/customer relationships.

After more than a decade in business, Zuora was ready to expand its reach and needed a brand that would position it as the only choice for enterprises working to build, run, or grow a subscription solution in its industry.

Brand Strategy

​​Zuora’s previous brand did not reflect its forward-thinking nature and future goals. As Zuora entered its next phase, there were specific misconceptions and shifts to manage. Also, the previous Zuora brand was used inconsistently by internal teams, leading to a fractured brand experience externally.

In addition to the brand attributes — Progressive, Focused, and Sincere — it was clear that Zuora is built on enabling customers to uplevel and transform their businesses. We needed the brand to convey Zuora’s trustworthy nature and supportive, cheerleading spirit that enables clients to achieve their next level and bring Zuora’s differentiators into focus, allowing for complete control of its category. Zuora’s expertise, passion, and community are its key high-level differentiators.

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Verbal Identity

While Zuora achieved global renown — a publicly traded company powering revenue models for some of the world’s largest enterprises — it was also in a state of rapid innovation. Like other established brands at a turning point in their growth, Zuora’s story had become fragmented. Revisiting the brand’s verbal identity was critical to support its bold new look with messaging to match.

The team’s vision: to get people excited about the brand again, and tell their story with clarity, consistency, and conviction.

The Focus Lab and Zuora teams started with a workshop to explore Zuora’s purpose, vision, and mission. We then collaborated to define its unique selling proposition and value proposition. Through audience-specific messaging, Focus Lab tailored these messages to speak to each segment's unique demands. Our work culminated in a re-energized brand story celebrating the human-to-human connection at the heart of every customer relationship — with Zuora helping “providers-of-things become creators of meaningful experiences.”

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The Zuora brand story celebrates the human-to-human connection at the heart of every customer relationship — with Zuora helping “providers-of-things become creators of meaningful experiences.”

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Logo

Finding the perfect mark for Zuora was a journey that needed to be unlocked. Zuora's Z mark was the key. A key, a glyph, is universal. Everywhere on the planet, there is a need to unlock more — more information, more relationships, more knowledge.

The mark is intentionally crafted as two interlocking Zs, demonstrating the duality and connection between Zuora and its clients. A pathway to discovery, the closed loop symbolizes their connected relationship and ability to draw a throughline. No matter where a client is on their journey, Zuora will enable them to get to the next stage. Run, Build, Grow — Zuora can unlock the way.

The logotype was initially based off Dinamo Typefaces' font, Ginto, but heavily customized to stand taller. A confident sans serif, the logotype is bold and focused.

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Visual Language

The brand’s visual language expresses the story of “Discover and Unlock” — the concept of duality using instances of opposition or contrast. Like turning on a light switch, elements can be used to focus or reveal something we didn’t see before. Our visual language defines the relationship between these extremes using toggle elements, color blocking, and mixed media.

Founders Grotesk, along with its accompanying Mono and Text fonts, makes up the majority of Zuora's typography. From Klim Type Foundry, Founders Grotesk is "a contemporary amalgamation of classic grotesks."

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With such a vibrant color palette, we included approved color combinations in the brand guidelines to keep the visual language defined.

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Zuora’s monoline graphics support story-driven brand touchpoints. They can add rhythm to compositions and remain dynamic across Zuora’s brand experience. They are stylistically composed of toggle and circular shapes and can be used as texture, imagery, and/or pattern. Monoline graphics are typically composed as outlines, but filled graphics can be used to express focus or discovery.

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Brand Support

Zuora put in the hard work and tough conversations necessary to arrive at their new brand. The focus had to switch to the growing task list of assets to update prior to launch. Our Brand Support team worked with the Zuora team to help prioritize key needs, as well as anticipate additional needs for the future. We got to work on updating email signatures, stationery, social media templates, launch swag, trade show booth assets, and dozens of other projects.

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What I’ve found over the years in brand transformation work is that branding is as much about internal transformation as it is external. While the Focus Lab team excels creatively, the real magic comes through in the partnership and process of working through the challenging discussions and continuous iterations that it takes to get to the best outcome. They bring a level of collaboration and agility that, when combined with their creative talent, makes brand transformation a rewarding and engaging experience for everyone involved.

Sergio Claudio, VP of Brand Experience, Zuora

Zuora Brand Evolution Video created by Zuora

Post-Project Success

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