Transforming a Specialist Recruitment and Consultancy Services Brand
From talent attraction, retention, and development to turnaround strategies, wholesale restructures, and change & transformation, Seymour John delivers integrated people and performance solutions that help organizations do more with less.
The company had grown rapidly since its inception in 2011, primarily through reputation. However, Seymour John had never undergone a professional B2B rebranding process, and the existing identity did little to reflect the expert solutions their consultants were delivering.
To take the next step, the business needed a more focused, strategic approach to its growth. Key to this was a total brand overhaul—the creation of a new visual identity that placed the business squarely in the expert consultancy arena.
Obejective
The new B2B rebranding effort needed to integrate expanding consultancy solutions with an established recruitment business, combining individual specialisms within a coherent, national brand.
As a progressive, values-led company, Seymour John wanted the brand to reflect how it does business as much as what it does. Any solution needed to allow headroom for further expansion, following B2B rebranding best practices to ensure long-term scalability.
The Challenge
The business has a complex internal group structure, with various regional expert consultancy practices. Some teams specialize in the private sector, others in the public sector. BrandStack was challenged with bringing these disparate niches together into a coherent whole—a task requiring the same level of precision found in rebranding strategies for tech corporations. We aimed to place Seymour John in the "Big Four" space while standing out from the copycat crowd.
Our Approach
A B2B Corporate Rebranding Strategy
We took the time to understand the business, its structure, and what Seymour John wanted the new branding to achieve. This included working with their Head of Brand and Content to develop an overarching brand strategy that established a hierarchy of messaging.
- Complex Technical Storytelling: Our Stylescape refining process helped us get a feel for the aesthetic sensibilities of the key stakeholders while bringing objective clarity to the visual direction.
- The "Sherpa" Narrative: Underpinning our approach was a metaphorical framework of Seymour John as Sherpa Guides, supporting candidates and clients step-by-step towards the summit. This is a prime example of how we use technical storytelling to simplify complex service offerings.
Outcomes
A three-tiered messaging approach was developed, serving as a rebranding guide for the internal team. Individual team service messages now sit under either recruitment or consultancy brand messages—everything umbrellaed under a global ‘for the next step’ group brand message.
The result is a more professional, aspirational identity that positions Seymour John squarely in the consultancy services space. This B2B rebranding a company success story features:
- Evocative Imagery: Extreme, to-the-ends-of-the-earth brand imagery illustrates the lengths their consultants will go to.
- Cohesive Design System: A vibrant color palette reflects the group’s culture while differentiating verticals.
- Unified Touchpoints: Everything now flows seamlessly across the B2B website rebranding, factsheets, slide decks, and reports—offering a systematic visual and messaging template.
This project now stands among our leading B2B rebranding case studies, proving that a strategic approach can transform how a specialist firm is perceived in a crowded market.
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