XEROX: BRAND & IDENTITY
A reimagined brand and identity for the birthplace of tech innovation
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Let's start
with the problem
Xerox, a brand synonymous with photocopiers, was facing a significant identity crisis. With a shift in focus, Xerox was evolving into a technology brand, with cutting-edge innovations in software, data, and 3D printing. The challenge was clear: how do we reposition a company known for office staples as a forward-thinking, innovative technology leader?
Our Strategic Solution
This is the space to introduce the business and what it has to offer. Define the qualities and values that make it unique.
01. Competitor research
Our first step was to review product positioning, tone and visual language of key competitors, to understand the language of the category, and carve out whitespace to help land our new positioning.
02. Stakeholder Interviews
Interviewing team members across multiple roles including founders,, customers and riders giving us a holistic view of customer needs and requirements, company culture and ways of working.
03. Behavioural Workshops
Using our proprietary workshops, we identified behaviours, values and tone of voice prompts that best reflected our new positioning and culture of Wahu!
04. Brand Development
Finally, we brought all our thinking together to develop a brand narrative, messaging pillars, values and behavioural guidelines to inform the visual brand, web development and go-to-market strategy.
The Old Brand
Xerox’s previous visual identity needed to evolve to reflect its growth into a full-service technology provider.
While elements of the old brand - such as the modern sans-serif font and the iconic red accent - had strong equity, the overall look felt outdated and lacked ambition, which resulted in the brand feeling out of sync with the company’s technological advancements.
The new identity needed to reference Xerox’s heritage while embracing its innovative future, combining boldness with clarity.
New Brand Idea
Xerox isn’t just about imagining future solutions, it’s about applying that imagination to solve real-world business challenges. The brand refresh needed to reflect Xerox’s evolution from a traditional stationery brand to a technology powerhouse, grounded in the same spirit of ingenuity that defined its legacy.
Our answer to this challenge was the concept of "Applied Imagination” a mindset that bridges creativity and practicality.
Our Creative Approach
Xerox’s ability to imagine new ways of working—and then turn those ideas into accessible solutions—was the inspiration behind the visual direction. We moved away from literal product-focused imagery and towards more conceptual, human-centred photography that captures moments of problem-solving. Our visual style embraced a modern, darker aesthetic to signal innovation while maintaining a sense of authenticity and approachability.
Our Creative Toolkit
It wasn't just a case of putting the same ingredients together and expecting different results, we needed some new tools to unpack the 'Applied Imagination' message in a compelling way...
An ownable 'hero' asset - lightbeam
We dug deep into Xerox's storied history to craft a uniquely ownable 'hero' asset that can be appled to all brand comms moving forward - the lightbeam created in the Xerox scanning process was the perfect solution.
Photographic textures
Many tech brands tend to look too 'clean' We solved this by adding an analogue tool into our toolkit - we reproduced the scan lines created during the Xerox copy process which added the perfect level of texture.
Striking, high-contrast photography
There is a time and place for product shots and imagery of happy people in offices - but for brand-level comms we needed to land a different message - we found that int he for of ultra high contrast, moody photography.
Revised Palette
Xerox red is iconic, and was worth retaining, along with their greys. But we bulked this out with a variable palette created from the light beam 'hero' asset. Users can super sample from this asset to create an infinite palette of whites, pinks and reds.
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LIGHTBEAM GRADIENT
Identity Reveal
We prepped the revised visual identity for an internal unveiling - initially at the company's annual internal keynote, where all employees would be able to see it and react to it at the same time.
Internal Comms & Social
We prepped a series of brand launch posts intended for posting on internal channels - like teams, the Xerox portal and internal whatsapp groups.
Brand Activation
We then applied the new visual identity to employee assets, including a new emplyee handbook and various merchandise. The reception tot he assets was through the roof. Imagine that... a branded hoodie people actually WANT to wear.
Photography
Our carefully curated (and commissioned) photographs for Alias embrace a 90's-inspired luxury fashion feel - coupled with the art of 'obscuration'.
We intentionally obscure the models faces to give them a sense of mystique and continue to land the brand promise of anonymity.
So how did we do?
What the guys have done is brilliant, bold and empowering. It's a refresh designed to breathe new life into our old brand and is sure to be received really well.
Xerox internal marketing team