enlist.io Outtakes

A few years ago I developed the branding for enlist.io, an applicant tracking program designed for hiring managers. The software automates repetitive tasks, organizes and sorts large amounts of data, and streamlines communication between the hiring manager, applicant and company stakeholders. It’s also pretty to look at — a big bonus for busy managers who will live in this software for the bulk of their work week.

Importantly, market research revealed that the majority of hiring managers are female, which influenced the design of the brand. You can see the final, winning work in my design portfolio, where we struck the right balance of professional-friendly-techy-quirky-fun. On this blog poster, however, I’m sharing the unchosen runner-up. The icon for this option is based around the idea of using enlistio’s “e” sa the enter of a compass-like insturment — a tool to guide you in the right direction. The icon also evokes the idea of motion, a roation, a routing, and following a course. All of which resonates with the annual cycles of a hiring manager’s work. While the winning option opted for clean, crips shapes, the compass concept embraced a bookish style with hints toward natural textures and overall warmer tones.

I’m happy they chose the other option, but I’m proud of this alternate take and think it’s worth sharing. It illustrates the work I put into exploring a variety of solutions with my client and offering meaningful — and meaningfully different — options for my clients to consider. Keep in mind these designs are in the concept phase. Had enlist.io chosen this direction, these likely would have gone through a few rounds of refinement and polishing before final deliver.

Like what you see? Contact me and let’s work together.