Undercover operation in data protection: brand relaunch for Secjur

Since the GDPR came into force across the EU in 2016, data protection and security have grown from a sometimes annoying side issue into an often annoying main issue. No management team can afford to ignore it – but hire a permanent data protection officer just for that? There are alternatives. For example, a young company that initially still called itself Datenschutz⁴.

A topic that many find rather dry in particular benefits from a fresh look to stand out from the crowd. Especially as our client's employees are, without exception, young, dynamic and highly motivated. They are passionate about the finer points of their field and proud to be able to solve things better and faster than others. This energy and modernity also has to be conveyed in the design – without a single word. An aspiration that guided us and led to this result. It is unexpected, different, surprising. And unique in its form and industry.

Opulent frugality: we are very careful with animations and only use them when there is a justifiable reason. As in this case: data protection is essentially about disclosing only the data that the other side absolutely needs. We pick up this principle in the corporate design by first concealing information and then revealing it again when it is required. Not a decorative gimmick, but our visual interpretation of data security.

Why only one logo for a brand relaunch, really? With Secjur we did things differently for once and gave them two straight away. First in the “normal” version, second in animated form. They alternate depending on the touchpoint. In both cases, the retractable protective shield is also used. Apart from this special feature, the wordmark is visually just as reduced and pragmatic as Secjur's focused way of working.

On paper, too, the principle of data minimisation is applied in the form of partially concealed elements. It is somewhat logical, after all: when I send a quote in response to a company's first enquiry, my bank details don't need to be visible on it straight away – but they do on the invoice sent later. In combination with the logo and design, this mechanism gets the recipient's grey cells working, along the lines of: “Oh, so that's what data protection means. That's not such a bad idea...”

The special methods and services of Secjur are difficult to depict 1:1 in all their complexity, and certainly not photographically. For this reason, we move them to an abstract, metaphorical graphic level – making the whole thing easier for the viewer to digest.

In contrast to the technical, abstractly presented topics, we put the employees in the photographic focus – so as not to lose the personal connection to Secjur and its team in people's perception. What matters here: with photography, we don't show the people's work, but the people at work.

It stands to reason that for an expert in digital data protection, the central sales and communication channel lies in online communication. In keeping with the “digital first” approach, the conception of digital, interactive elements is therefore the focus right from the development process of the new corporate design.

You won't get off-the-shelf controls from arndtteunissen. Every button, every input field, every checkbox is individually tailored to the new appearance. Radically reduced and, for exactly that reason, highly functional.

Movement is simply fun – not least for the eye. Our fundamental motion concept is predestined for the web. This is how we make graphics and typography dance and give CEOs plagued by data protection a chance to breathe easy.

Like our client, we leave nothing to chance, even with smaller details. One example: infographics are frequently used in Secjur's in-house online magazine and in presentations. These are likewise redesigned in line with the new design principles.