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A distinct identity to help them be the North Star to their clients.
Northstar People had grown quickly as a business, and their existing brand reflected an earlier stage of that journey. The visual identity hadn't yet caught up with the team's ambition or the depth of their offer. There was a real opportunity to create something that better expressed who they were, and gave them a more distinctive presence in a market that can feel quite generic.
Recruitment consultancy is a busy market with a lot of visual noise. The challenge was to build something genuinely distinctive, without losing warmth or approachability. Northstar People work closely with their clients, often as a trusted guide through complex decisions, and the brand needed to hold both sides of that: authoritative enough to be taken seriously, human enough to feel like a real partner.
Before any visual decisions were made, the work started with understanding. Conversations with the Northstar People team to explore how they wanted to express themselves, what the North Star could represent to their clients, and different ways to visualise that metaphor before landing on a direction that felt right.
Working closely with the team to understand how they wanted to express themselves and what Northstar could genuinely represent to their clients, beyond just the name. Understanding the values, personality, and the kind of relationship they wanted to have with the people they work with.
Exploring different ways to visualise the North Star metaphor: celestial maps, aurora gradients, navigational geometry, star forms. Several distinct directions were developed and presented to the stakeholders, before one resonated as the right fit for the business.
Building out the chosen direction into a complete system: logo and mark variations, a deep midnight blue and north star lilac palette, Figtree typography, grainy gradient textures, and celestial linework as a recurring brand element throughout.
The deliverables included a refined logo and full mark system, a complete colour palette, typography hierarchy, celestial brand elements and icon illustrations for ongoing use, and brand guidelines written to give the team everything they needed to apply the identity confidently and independently.
Primary logo
Brand elements
Colour palette
Typography
Brand icons
Applied — new website