L.E.K.

L.E.K.

Overcoming commoditization through intentionality and specificity.

Challenge

As a smaller management consulting firm specializing in strategy, L.E.K. suddenly found its critical services portrayed as a “niche” by bigger players in the consulting field where implementation and transformation were more profitable. This was forcing L.E.K. to reconsider its brand and messaging to gain attention.

The firm couldn’t outshout its more prominent competitors, and without an equal share of voice, it needed to be intentional and clever about how it communicated the value of its services.  In addition, L.E.K. was limited in demonstrating its value through case examples because its deliverable was strategy, and it couldn’t share insights and work due to confidentiality. The firm needed another mechanism to market and create engagement with potential clients.

Our path forward together created a new platform for L.E.K. to spotlight its expertise and focus areas and get its message out into the marketplace.

LEK - Brand platform

Strategy

Consulting often lends itself to lengthy and sleep-inducing language. We knew we had to give people a visual “moment” that would set L.E.K. apart. A moment of truth the moment between L.E.K. and the client when a problem was solved or a critical insight was discovered. The human feel of that moment was what set L.E.K. apart, and now we could express it through brand. In bringing this moment to life, we worked to balance the scales of accuracy and inspiration to move potential clients to action.

The L.E.K. moment set the stage of our expression

LEK - Strategy shapes

Results

We brought practicality and specificity to a business that formerly spoke in metaphors. Consulting is not a visual profession, yet we created an aesthetically elegant and beautiful visual identity to draw and keep attention.

The new brand launched in 2021, and leadership noted a true understanding of brand across the organization. Our partnership with L.E.K. continues into 2022 and beyond as we continue to find more ways for the brand to help achieve its business goals.

Voice

We gave L.E.K. a voice that’s fresh, but not trying too hard or falling out of category a balance between professionalism and the swagger the brand deserves after so many years of helping clients. With the new voice as a baseline, we could begin to explain the importance of the complex work to all of its audiences.

LEK - Voice list

Messaging

Part of L.E.K.’s challenge was that the brand was great at describing what it isn’t and less prepared to describe what it is. There were different groups within the organization doing all different sorts of writing. Every group benefited from a new common message to tie together their needs and meanings.

We produced three deliverables for multiple situations and users:

  • Enterprise level: boilerplate language in the form of an elevator pitch describing what the brand is, who the people are and what the unique value that they bring to the table.
  • Client and talent journey: illustrates engagement to conversion and what messages to state in those separate moments.
  • Messaging framework for L.E.K.’s key sectors: industrial, consumer, and healthcare.
LEK - Before and after logos
LEK - Logo
LEK - Typography
LEK - Photography montage
LEK - Graphic motif
LEK - Collateral covers
LEK - Collateral
LEK - Collateral business cards
LEK - Merchandise umbrella
LEK - Merchandise notebook
LEK - Merchandise pen
LEK - Merchandise tie
LEK - Merchandise tote
LEK - Merchandise water bottle
LEK - Environmental