OLS is undergoing a rebranding project to make it more inclusive and accessible to researchers from various fields of study. The project is led by a design intern from Outreachy, who brings a fresh outlook to the process. So far, we have conducted research and documentation to understand OLS’s ideal targets and collaborators, and the current brand positioning. The biggest challenge faced is generating a new brand name. OLS is reaching out to its community for support and to vote for their preferred brand name choice from a shortlisted two.
Hello! I am Jilaga Nneoma. As the design intern at OLS, I am thrilled to be playing a key role in this rebranding project. My passion for design, combined with my Outreachy Internship, has given me the opportunity to offer a unique perspective and contribute new ideas. Working with OLS on this exciting project is a true honor and I am eager to share with you what we have accomplished so far.
Rebranding OLS: The Journey so far…
OLS was founded as an initiative for life science researchers, but over time we’ve grown to include a diverse community of researchers and scientists from a variety of fields, such as physics, anthropology, law, and archaeology.
Recognizing the diversity of our community, we’ve decided to undertake a rebranding project to remove any perceived barriers that might discourage non-life scientists and researchers from different areas of expertise from engaging with our platform.
Objective
Our goal is to make OLS more inclusive and accessible to all researchers, regardless of their field of study. We believe this will allow us to continue to accelerate scientific progress by making it easier for researchers to access, share, and build upon existing knowledge.
To better serve our community, we identified key areas for improvement and developed a strategic plan for the project. This included identifying specific goals and objectives for the rebranding effort, as well as outlining the key elements of this new identity.
These elements are:
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Inclusive and accessible: This new brand identity should convey that we are open and welcoming to researchers from all fields of study and backgrounds.
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Simple and modern: This new brand identity should be visually appealing, modern and easy to understand, avoiding complexity, and being easy to read and remember.
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A new brand name: A memorable name that is easy to pronounce, spell, and should communicate the essence of our mission and values which are community, growth, nurture, capacity building, kindness and positive progress.
Approach
To ensure that the rebranding project is successful, we have taken a thorough and collaborative approach within the community to conduct extensive research and analysis to understand the needs and perceptions of our audience, collaborators, and current brand positioning. This research has been critical in serving as a guide to create a new brand identity that accurately reflects OLS’ values and mission.
The research has involved several key steps, including conducting surveys, interviews and focus groups, analyzing the current brand positioning and perception, and reviewing best practices in branding and rebranding initiatives. Through this, we learned of experiences with OLS, as well as key demographics and characteristics of our target audience. We also conducted a comparative analysis to understand how OLS’ brand compares to potential collaborators and partners, and staying up-to-date on the latest trends.
We have also begun to explore different design directions and concepts, including sketching and creating a new brand persona. And with a few rounds of internal brainstorming sessions, we gathered feedback from the community to refine and develop these ideas further.
The Challenge
While we have made great progress so far, we currently face a major challenge: Generating a new brand name. This has made the project longer than expected, but we are determined to find a solution that accurately reflects our mission and values.
A brand name is a crucial element of a brand identity and it needs to be memorable, unique, and align with the company’s values and messaging. It is important that we find a name that accurately reflects who we are and what we stand for. This can be a challenging task, especially when you are trying to capture a diverse community of researchers from different scopes.
After much consideration and review, we have narrowed down our list of potential new brand names to just two options that capture the essence of OLS. This is where you come in! We are now eager to hear from you on which option you prefer.
We value the power of community, openness and collaboration and would love to demonstrate that by reaching out to our community for help. Your feedback is crucial in helping us make this important decision, and by including your input in this process, we can ensure that the new name accurately reflects the diversity of our community and our mission to nurture and grow.
To participate in the voting process, simply follow the link provided. The survey will take just a few minutes to complete and you can use your preferred alias in your response. Your input is incredibly valuable to us, and we look forward to seeing which of the select name resonates most with our community.
In conclusion, we are thrilled to be undergoing this rebranding project and can’t wait to share the final result.