Michelle kicked off the rebrand by focusing on the name change; it was important to come up with a single name that would allow the brand to extend beyond just plant and design services and that would work internationally. Michelle led customer research that explored the meanings of names and how they translated to different regions and cultures to come up with the Ambius name.
The name ‘Ambius’ is derived from the word ‘ambiance,’ which was oftentimes the way customers would describe the work of Initial Tropical Plants. “You improve the ambiance of our business environment,” was a common theme among customers. The strategy and foundation for the brand were built on the five senses, which allowed the company to add additional service offerings such as scenting, fruit, art, etc. that would appeal to any or all five senses.
In creating the logo mark, Michelle wanted to visually incorporate the company’s core service since they no longer were using the word ‘plants’ as part of the name. The five identical leaf shapes achieved that, while also representing the five senses. The leaf icon in the logo illustrated how one can turn the corporate relationship between people, plants and their surroundings into a fresh, friendly identity. The green color reflects nature, comfort, and health – key emotional triggers associated with the Ambius brand.
Over the course of the 18-month project, Michelle successfully executed the brand strategy she devised by engaging internal stakeholders, listening to insights from customers in several countries and rolling out the rebranding in a five-phase approach.
