Neo4j - Clear Systems for Complex Markets
Neo4j was founded to help companies make sense of their data using knowledge graphs. In order to reach end-user app developers as well as executive decision makers, the brand needed to show up consistently globally, yet be nuanced for each audience segment. After a foundational rebrand in late 2023, the Neo4j brand was ready to evolve further mid-2024. The challenge was to evolve and expand the Neo4j brand identity and supporting processes so that the Brand Creative team could execute more quickly at scale, and enable internal stakeholders to launch their initiatives on brand, on time.
For 2 years, I co-managed a team of 9 exceptional designers, illustrators, and videographers. We worked to evolve and grow the brand across the globe, partnering with agency partners in the US and UK on systems that drove real pipeline and elevated brand awareness in the developer and tech executive community. Below you’ll find examples of some of the work our team completed over the past couple years, including: brand guidelines expansion (esp. GenAI), first and third-party environmental event creative / virtual event creative, presentation design and digital advertising campaigns.
MY ROLE
Art direction
Agency partnership
Design and production
Cross-functional collaboration
Mentorship
THE TEAM
Brand Strategy: Aaron Smith
Agency Partner: Godfrey Dadich Partners
Agency Partner: CG Creative
THE PROCESS
In order to understand the scope of the brand expansion, I conducted a brand audit in early 2024, then validated my findings with the Creative team during an offsite with our agency partner (Godfrey Dadich), where we held discovery workshops, studied competing brands in our space, refined team processes, and mapped out our Creative AOP. The Director of Brand, Marketing Ops Manager and myself then developed a priority list of brand touch points that needed clarity, expansion or systemization.
THE STRATEGY
To evolve Neo4j’s brand system beyond its foundational rules, we focused on areas that strengthened both scalability and craft. This involved creating guidelines around palette proportions (additional detail was added on a sub-program basis as well) in addition to expanding into gradient usage for a more consistent and purposeful application of color. Additionally, to improve stakeholder alignment in the project briefing stage and reduce churn, brand visuals (photography, illustrations, icons, and technical diagrams) were aligned with appropriate messaging elevations at various points across the customer journey.
A contract illustrator was tapped to refresh our brand iconography library and develop standards to allow for consistent internal development. Scalable grid systems were formalized to support clarity and structure brand-wide, and logo usage was standardized across a multitude of touch points. Finally, we shortened production time through evergreen design templates hosted on an internal DAM (Bynder) and Canva, created net-new foundational motion principles, and workshopped GenAI frameworks—empowering teams to deliver consistent, high-quality work across channels.
RESULTS
Following the brand visual identity expansion, Bynder DAM launch, and creative toolkit enablement, speed to market was increased 10X. Beyond the delivered assets themselves, we provided Neo4j with a clear long-term design strategy, a scalable creation framework, and a more efficient design and production process. These outcomes positioned the Brand Creative team to continue building toward their larger vision as resources allow—ensuring the team’s efforts created lasting business value beyond the immediate launch.