CleanStart BC

Railyard 2022 (Winter)/ Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Identity, Visual Design, UX Strategy, Website Design, Verbal Identity

Located in Vancouver’s DTES, CleanStart is a social enterprise that puts people first by offering employment opportunities for people with traditional barriers to employment. From junk removal to pest control, they are extreme cleaning experts that deliver compassion and care with their service.

Immersion

Before we started on the project, we wanted to get a better understanding of the social enterprise space and the competitor landscape. Almost immediately, it was clear that CleanStart had a very unique business model that delivered unparalleled value to its clients. No other organization offered the same breadth of services in terms of providing additional social and environmental value. With this in mind, we wanted to help CleanStart refresh its brand to capture its unique position in the marketplace.

Brand Strategy 

It was apparent from our first meeting that the CleanStart team shared a deep passion and commitment to the organization’s vision. Their energy was infectious and was demonstrated while we were co-developing their brand strategy. By using an iterative process, we were able to capture the present and future audience’s mindsets, motivations, and expectations. This set the stage for the remainder of the brand strategy, creating a strong foundation for the visual identity and website design.

Visual Language & Brand Identity

Through the visual language, our goal was to communicate CleanStart’s professionalism, community orientation, and compassion. After exploring several different options, we decided on a logo that modernized CleanStart’s previous logo without deviating too far from the original vision. The new logo keeps the iconic house and checkmark components but uplifts them into a more contemporary logo. As well, we kept the classic green color while adding in an exciting orange element that adds ownability to the logo mark.

Verbal Identity

With a clear idea of CleanStart’s current and future audiences, we developed a verbal identity to help the brand maintain consistency with its messaging. 

UX Strategy & Website Design

After lots of collaboration with the CleanStart team, we settled on the goals and objectives for their ideal website. Most importantly, the website had to succinctly communicate CleanStart’s breadth of services in a succinct way. As well, it had to communicate their professionalism and present the brand as the go-to company for reliable and compassionate property care. After several revisions, we created a web design that gave the brand its long-awaited refresh. The final result included several new features, including pages that describe their social and environmental impact.

Impact

Working alongside the CleanStart team for 4-months was an absolute pleasure. By synthesizing our research, seeking advice from our mentors, and collaborating with the CleanStart team, we were able to deliver a complete brand strategy, visual identity, UX strategy and website, and verbal identity that CleanStart can use for years to come.

Testimonials

"We really enjoyed working with the Railyard team. The yardies were super enthusiastic and positive, and eagerly listened to our opinions. They also incorporated their own suggestions into our discussions and we really appreciated their feedback and ideas. The whole process was smooth and simple and the outcome that we got exceeded our expectations. We are extremely happy with our end result and would recommend this team again."

Jasmine Keller, Project Manager and Waste Diversion Coordinator