five elms
services
Branding
UX/UI
Website Redesign
Content Writing
Development
intro
Five Elms is one of the most active and experienced software investors globally. They are software focused and culture obsessed, driven by a deep passion for their industry. Though their expertise and heart are well known by their partners and colleagues, their brand and website wasn’t living up to their reputation. We put our heads together to craft a brand and digital experience that feels as unique as Five Elms is.
establishing a modern brand of people-first software investors
Before we could pick up our drafting tools, we went to work fully immersing ourselves into the Five Elms ethos. Through thorough user-research interviews, in-depth stakeholder conversations, surveys, and more, we began to learn the ins and outs of the firm. By the end of our discovery, a few common themes began to emerge: Five Elms is not your typical investment firm. They’re someone you’d want to invite over for a barbecue, someone you can trust. They’re often the most personable and credible people in the room, and their new brand needed to reflect this.
primary typeface: newsreader
We’re people focused
and culture obsessed.
secondary typeface: noto sans
We seek out those who get excited about shaping our company, the companies we work with, and our future together—people who understand the importance of creating a culture worth choosing and spending their days at.
crafting a timeless
digital experience
With the refreshed Five Elms brand established, it was time to use this modern foundation to build a dynamic digital experience. Detailed wireframes, content modules, and many Figjam files led us to an organized UX system that would both educate and engage the user.
Throughout each page of the experience, we placed a strong emphasis on the storytelling—the meaning behind what makes Five Elms different. Oversized headlines, minimal use of imagery, and easily digestible stats bring the firm’s story to life in a clean and scannable fashion.
(01)
focus on partnership
What sets Five Elms apart is the emphasis placed on true partnership: a feeling that everyone is in this together. It’s not uncommon for Five Elms to hear, “Your team feels like my team.” This sense of camaraderie is woven throughout the messaging and voice heard throughout the visual language.
(02)
professionalism with passion
Passion for product, people, and culture is at the epicenter of the Five Elms. A timeless, bold color palette paired with rounded images and touches of team personality creates a dynamic look and feel.
(03)
hand-done approach
Though professionalism and expertise are at the core of what Five Elms does, relationships are at the heart of what Five Elms is. The creation of hand-drawn icons and illustrations adds a personalized human touch to the brand, calling to mind the days of ideas scribbled on the back of napkins and handwritten notes passed between colleagues.
