Rebranding a CPA firm
Brand Identity
The Akopyan Group provides CPA services to businesses in the Seattle metropolitan area (including Chalkbox). Clients enjoy big expertise with the familiarity of a small team and dedicated account personnel.
The company was founded by Yuriy Akopyan and has grown to over a dozen strong. Part of that growth was through an acquisition. To reflect the change in structure, staff, and client experience that comes with that growth, the firm’s name was changed from Akopyan & Co. to The Akopyan Group. This would elevate the knowledge and expertise of the team, rather than focusing only on the founder.
With the name change, the firm seized the opportunity for a brand refresh. This would accommodate more than the change of name. While being careful not to interrupt continuity with its established clients, the brand identity would be redesigned to include a newer, younger generation of clients. Those clients expect a more contemporary presentation than the more traditional branding was projecting.
Concept and competition
As a rule, we always survey the competitive field: in this case, other CPA firms in this region. Not only those competing for the same clients now. But those that The Akopyan Group would be competing with 5 and 10 years into the future. We found some unfortunate typeface choices, the ubiquitous northwest-cliché evergreen trees, and the expected financial firm monograms. Only a few competing brands stood out as fresh and contemporary, and those formed our comparative field.
Our work began with the founder and key staff members. Interviews and questions provided the foundation for our concept exploration. We determined that a wordmark (a type-focused solution) would be an appropriate direction for the firm and its clients, and a survey of suitable typefaces was conducted. Our color investigation led outside the existing conservative palette, into friendlier, more accessible colors.
At each stage, we reviewed our work and recommendations with the firm’s leadership to ensure they knew our intent and reasoning. This also provided them opportunities to tie the work to their growth strategy and knowledge of their clients.
A classic and contemporary wordmark
The finished mark for The Akopyan Group is classic and contemporary. The wordmark is set in a modified Slimbach, and is presented in a modern, vibrant, and youthful color palette.
The new brand identity will appeal to a newer generation of business owner, while still feeling relevant and credible to its established (and older) clients. This will carry The Akopyan Group into the future as it grows and ensure it’s ready for that next level of competition.
Collaboration and clarity
"We worked with Chalkbox to transition our brand to a new name and more current look—something we can grow into. We appreciated the collaborative approach, which allowed us to understand what was happening in each phase and how Chalkbox was tying their recommendations to the evolution of our firm. Chalkbox is great to work with, and we are happy to recommend them to others."
– Yuriy Akopyan, The Akopyan Group
Big changes are brand changes
A name change can be complicated and difficult. It’s a big change. But big changes are also opportunities. Are you changing the name of your business? Or maybe you’re changing your service mix or your target market. All of these will impact the perception of your business and what it does (your brand). Maybe your brand identity needs to change along with it.
Let's find out.