Minimum Viable Compliance
Shaping brand strategy for a startup defining the future of software compliance
outline
primary challenge
We were approached by one of the leading experts in European software compliance to create a brand story, identity and investor narrative for his startup, targeting companies looking to market software into the European Union after new strict EU regulations coming into play.
our role
Primary Pillar: Brand Strategy
Supporting Services:
Messaging & Storytelling
Visual Identity
Engagement length: 8 weeks
background
MVC’s key advantage lay in its founder, Daniel Thompson, an acknowledged software authority who had quite literally written the book on the regulatory hurdles facing companies developing software for the European market. With a strong core team in place and a product already in development, the next critical step was securing investor capital to take the company forward.
challenge
Every one of the tens of thousands of apps currently available in the EU will need to be compliant with new regulations coming into force, and MVC were set up to aid software vendors to navigate this complex new world.
We were tasked with
- creating the investor narrative
- brand story
- new visual language
for this startup, and create a cohesive brand platform for the launch.
solution
Brand strategy & Positioning
MVC were looking to attract some early stage investment to scale up their operations, so we sat down with founder Daniel to identify what the core arguments would be, and then define the narrative, channelling it into a short, concise investor deck.
This laid out exactly what new regulations were pending, what compliance hurdles software companies were going to have to solve, and what made MVC and its certification platform uniquely positioned to deliver the compliance which they would need.
In parallel we began work on the visual identity. This new visual identity permeated and informed the whole deck, creating an impactful and cohesive whole.
Creative & Storytelling
A guiding principle for the MVC logotype development was the idea of a portal or gateway. We created a number of options and presented them for consideration. The moodboard also contained a direction for imagery and some core values that would permeate their brand story.
Once we had established the direction, we developed a whole visual language, including logotype variations, colour system, typography, tonality and imagery. From this we created a sign-up page for early adopters to get more information about the coming changes, and how to become compliant and future-proof their operations.
We also developed a simple registration page for potential customers to sign up for current information and news updates.
CLIENT PERSPECTIVE
“A&E helped me clarify the MVC opportunity for potential investors and then created a strong strategic
framework for the brand to build on. Through their thoughtful approach to visual design and brand storytelling, all I needed to provide were a few initial ideas of how I visualised the tonality of the company. From there, they led the process – iterating until everything felt precisely right.”
Daniel Thompson
Founder, MVC