Kion, formerly cloudtamer.io, is the first and only comprehensive cloud enablement software, combining a holistic approach to cloud management and a proactive solution for cloud governance. Kion has a vision to transform organizations by empowering their employees to move farther and faster in the cloud.

As cloudtamer.io, the company was known as an allied partner to some of the largest government agencies in the U.S — think NASA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, with competing brands growing in size and awareness, the saturated landscape was primed for cloudtamer.io to reimagine itself and brand to broaden its appeal to commercial enterprises and future employees. The name “cloudtamer” focused on an end state of taming the cloud, stopping short of capturing how the company’s solution helps customers thrive in the cloud, not just mitigate unruliness. It was time to share, boldly and clearly, key differentiators and why they matter — it was time to become Kion.

With a new name, Kion needed an identity that established it as a trusted technology partner and innovator in the cloud-management space.

Brand Strategy

The team at Kion identified its brand attributes as trusted, simple, and current. Kion's authority within the government market and compliance space had already cemented a reputation of trust, and customers need a cloud-management solution they can rely on to protect their information. "Simple" had been an important word since the company's founding — technology can be complex, but Kion creates a simplified, effective solution for customers. Finally, technology, especially the cloud, evolves constantly — Kion is dedicated to staying at the forefront to help organizations innovate.

In addition to its brand attributes, it's clear that Kion is built on a foundation of empathy and proactive problem solving — a balance that creates endurance and distinction. The care and attention Kion extends to partners were clear to our team, and we wanted to convey that experience and empowerment in the new brand identity.

Powerful. Clear. Illuminating. No white, puffy clouds allowed.

Communications

The Kion voice is honest, intelligent, and warm. Cloud management is a heady, complex, demanding thing. Kion’s voice guides people, sounding experienced, assured, and innovative, while also suggesting a lightness of spirit. "With us, this becomes easier." It’s a voice of sophistication, agility, and efficacy, and one that inspires customers to believe that they, too, can embody those qualities. This is an invitation to feel empowered.

The Kion brand story aligns with the company’s purpose: “We help organizations thrive by redefining their experience in the cloud, eliminating manual effort, waste, and frustration so everyone can achieve its benefits.”

As our brand writer Idoia Gkikas wrote in a recent article, "When your story is aligned with your purpose, it becomes a touchpoint, a home base, a gut check that has the power to guide and reverberate through every outward expression of your organization."

In addition to their verbal identity and brand story, we worked with the Kion team to craft messaging and positioning. With such a strong foundation for communications work, the Kion identity shines at every touchpoint.

Logo

The Kion mark, dubbed Lux, illuminates one’s road to cloud empowerment. Latin for light, it represents Kion’s powerful clarity in guiding customers, equipping them with the confidence and context they need to move forward. Now, they can thrive.

Lux’s lines draw the eye to its center point: a single path to success in the cloud environment. How fitting that, within its refraction, shapes form a monogram “K.” The journey ahead is made easy to follow through the strength of Kion, our cloud navigator.

Visual Language

Kion's system is made up of five elements: color, typography, pattern, the clouds, and photography. When viewed collectively, these elements provide the ultimate sense of agency and agility. We created a system to define how elements should be combined, and when.

The visual language exhibits movement while instilling transparency. A mix between crisp geometrics and subtle organic shapes, clean typography, and a clear grid structure, this is a mature, energized evolution. The darker, richer colors evoke trustworthiness. Layers add depth, communicating a sense of transparency, trust, and openness.

"You’ve totally spoiled us in terms of working with any other ‘marketing partner.’ Why can’t every team be like yours?!"

- Marianna Noll, VP of Marketing, Kion

Interactive

Interactive work really starts to bring the Kion brand to life. A website is such an important touchpoint and frequently a customer's first experience with the brand, so we revisited our brand attributes of trusted, simple, and current when kicking off the interactive portion of the project.

Working through content briefs and low-fidelity wireframes first allows us to make thoughtful decisions about the user's experience. Even small design choices serve an important function. Kion customer logos on the homepage generate trust. Clear page hierarchy helps the experience feel simple and intuitive. A video reinforces Kion differentiators in a current, compelling way.

Brand Support

Through Focus Lab’s Brand Support offering, we created an icon set to align with the brand, as well as designing additional pages to help flesh out the visual identity system. Thoughtfully approaching each piece of collateral through the lens of the brand system further strengthens identity across platforms, departments, and iterations.

"Focus Lab has been such a valuable partner in this rebranding project. From the early days, they challenged us to look at our company differently, and they worked to truly understand our business despite the technical complexity. Other marketing firms I've worked with in the past either gloss over this or deliver immature content that requires a ton of rework. Not Focus. They helped us develop the right messaging, design, and assets to craft our new identity. We couldn't be happier with the Focus team and their work for us."

- Brian Price, CEO & Co-Founder, Kion

For the latest Focus Lab news, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and our podcast, and follow along on social media @focuslabllc