The Geniant Blog

Geniant is an interesting company. Like any company, it has it’s challenges, but unlike many of the companies I’ve seen, Geniant evolves and responds to those challenges pretty darn well. Since the acquisition of Bright Corner, Geniant has evolved considerably and done a pretty impressive job of incorporating user experience and design into our everyday approach. We’re not quite there yet, but when I step back and think about other companies that I’m familiar with, we’re moving along at a pretty good clip.

Figure 1 The Geniant identity adapted well for a more conversation-oriented mark that was inline with the goals of the blog.

Creating a blog and having a certain level of transparency is precisely one of those moves, and looking back on this launch, I have to say I’m even more excited not only about what we accomplished, but how we accomplished it. There was no red tape from a management standpoint. By handling everything through e-mail, Basecamp, and instant messenger, we never needed or had a single meeting about it. While I’m comfortable working this way, it’s rare to be involved in projects that don’t involve a much more formal process of checkpoints and meetings.

I want to point out one piece in particular. Jared created a variation on the identity specifically for the blog. (Figure 1). He wrote in depth about cultivating the identity, but I believe this is one place where the flexibility shines. It’s still clearly Geniant, but now it has a hint of conversation to it. I really dig it.

In my opinion, a huge piece of the success and ease of delivery was the fact that the two main people involved in bringing it to life are incredibly talented individuals. Jared Christensen handled all of the visual design, and Nathan Smith deftly transformed it into markup while navigating the endless requests and changes that Jared and I threw at him as the idea evolved. (Figure 2) Working with a team like that makes everything seem so easy and painless.

Figure 2 As usual, Jared nails a homerun with a pleasantly vivid yet pragmatic design.

Most of our initial posts revolve around around the design decisions and Geniant branding. Of course, they’re all worth reading. Dave Jimenez covers why we’re blogging. I discuss some of the challenges of the information architecture. Jared covers the more abstract concepts around designing our logo and the growth of our visual identity. And Nathan Smith goes over some of our technical decisions.

It’s always fun to work on internal projects, especially when you believe in them. It’s even easier when other people do all the really hard work and make it look so easy. So, if you haven’t gone by now, head on over and check out the Geniant blog.