Foundry Enterprise BRand Guidelines
It was a project that spanned 24 months and involved a complete redesign of Foundry’s 5+ enterprise web sites. I led the initiative to establish, document, and build out the brand guidelines for each brand which became the single source of truth and an indispensable resource to the design team and the company overall. Guidelines were created for CIO, CSO, Computerworld, InfoWorld and Network World.
A single source of truth
Defining the "North Star" is critical for enterprise media. These pillars ground the editorial strategy, ensuring every piece of content—from thought leadership to market analysis—aligns with the brand's core purpose and speaks to the right audience.
BRAND ASSETS
A modular identity system ensures the brand remains recognizable across diverse touchpoints. We established strict usage rules to prevent dilution of brand equity, ensuring the logo performs equally well on a conference stage or a mobile favicon.
COLOR
Color is a navigation tool as much as an aesthetic choice. We defined primary and secondary palettes to create visual hierarchy, distinguish editorial sections, and evoke the appropriate emotional tone for serious enterprise reporting.
Accessibility
Inclusivity is non-negotiable. We stress-tested the entire palette against WCAG AA/AAA standards to ensure high contrast and legibility, guaranteeing our content is accessible to all readers regardless of visual ability.
TYPOGRAPHY
In editorial design, type is the product. We selected type pairings that balance distinct personality with optimal readability for long-form content, ensuring the reader focuses on the insight, not the interface.
IMAGE DIRECTION & TREATMENT
Consistency builds trust. These guidelines define lighting, composition, and subject matter for photography and illustration, ensuring a cohesive visual narrative across thousands of articles and diverse contributors.
Data VISUALIZATION
Enterprise audiences rely on data to make decisions. We standardized chart styles and infographics to ensure complex information is communicated with clarity, accuracy, and each brand’s signature authority.
FIGMA DESIGN SYSTEM
To bridge the gap between editorial and product teams, we created a library of atomic design components. This ensures a seamless, consistent user experience across the entire digital ecosystem while accelerating development time.
CUSTOM & SpONSORED CONTENT
Protecting editorial integrity while driving revenue requires nuance. We designed distinct visual styles for sponsored content that deliver value to advertisers while clearly signaling the difference between paid and organic content to the reader.
SOCIAL MEDIA, VIDEO & PODCASTS
A modern media brand lives beyond the website. These guidelines translate the visual identity into motion graphics, podcast cover art, and social templates to ensure the brand voice cuts through the noise of off-platform feeds.