Case Study
A new brand identity for a biochemistry start-up
A new brand identity for a biochemistry start-up
An authentic brand will help you build long-lasting relationships with your customers. We create compelling brand identities that resonate with your target audience and effectively communicate your technology.
The client
Lixea, formerly Chrysalix Technologies, is an Imperial College London spin-out which has developed an innovative biomass fractionation process using low-cost ionic liquids. The company’s chemical processes will enable industries to move away from single-use crude oil products, allowing society to live more sustainably in a cleaner world while providing unwanted waste materials with a new purpose.
The challenge
December 2019 was a pivotal month for Lixea. Not only was it awarded €2.3 million in funding as part of the pilot phase of the European Innovation Council Accelerator, it also received notice of a business-changing decision. Up to then, the company was called Chrysalix Technologies, however due to legal reasons a name change was required.
This necessity provided the company’s founders with the perfect opportunity to examine its existing brand and logo. They decided to perform a refresh to reflect the company’s growing maturity and its more prominent position in the market. Several specific goals were identified, including:
- Choosing a new name which conveyed the company’s mission, technology and culture
- Conceptualising a new brand identity which combined the unique team dynamic, product offering and company mission
- Appealing to a broader cleantech audience, as well as future investors
We approached Life Size Media for a rebranding project as we wanted to change our long and often misspelled company name to something simpler, shorter and more unique. Through a renaming workshop we managed to get the entire team involved in talking about our brand, what it means to them and how they identify with it. We also learnt about the theory behind different types of company names. The actual naming part of the workshop really helped us come up with a short, uncomplicated name. Together with the new logo which was also designed by Life Size and modified based on our initial feedback, we now have a brand which we love and that has received a lot of positive feedback.
Dr Florence Gschwend, Co-Founder and CTO, Lixea
The Solution
The Life Size brand team conducted two full-day workshops with Lixea; one focused on its brand and value proposition and a separate session specifically on finding a new name. The workshops were highly interactive and involved the majority of Lixea’s team, something we encourage in order to gain valuable insights into how the company operates. Through a deep understanding of Lixea’s technological process, their competitors, target audience and the team’s personal motivations for working at Lixea, we were able to craft compelling key messages, a set of brand attributes and ultimately a new brand identity. The project included:
- Holding two in-person, interactive workshops at Lixea’s headquarters (Imperial College London)
- Undertaking an in-depth analysis of Lixea’s core technology and current messaging, plus current and future customers
- Quickly choosing a strong name and designing a new logo to reflect Lixea’s positioning and socially-driven mission, while remaining true to its biochemistry roots
Workshops
Workshops are an integral part of our client work. They provide the perfect opportunity to get to know our clients and develop a strong understanding of the company mission, values and, most importantly, get to the crux of their ‘why’. The workshops with Lixea laid the foundations for the subsequent naming and brand development processes.
Internal brainstorming
As part of the naming process, the Life Size team drew on each other’s creative thinking by conducting an internal brainstorming session. This time is part of our workshop preparation process and allows us to offer a broad range of naming options on the day. As naming can be a tricky process, we focused on keeping the team on track to come to a consensus everyone was happy with.
Design delivery
We work with a trusted team of designers to deliver our brand work. By combining creative flair with our understanding of the cleantech industry, we produce compelling brand identities. We involved Lixea from the beginning and developed multiple concepts for them to review, before collectively deciding on a final design route.
