D2iQ Brand Refresh
OVERVIEW
Refreshing D2iQ’s kubernetes brand presence
Led the brand strategy, creative execution, and cross-functional collaboration at D2iQ
D2IQ brought me on board as their full-time Creative Director to join their Marketing team. I managed all the marketing design, brand design, and design for marketing campaigns. One of my key responsibilities was to develop scalable brand guidelines that were easily accessible to all employees at D2IQ. The goal was to clean up, streamline, and simplify the D2iQ brand, position it as a leader built to serve and appeal to the public sector.
BRAND REFRESH & BRAND GUIDELINES
There were many challenges along the way at D2iQ when I first joined their team. I was given strict guidelines to follow for their subtle brand refresh. I couldn't do a complete brand refresh, so I was limited to the existing design style, colors, and other design elements. However, the leadership team at D2iQ recognized the need for a more refined, cohesive, and strategically aligned brand presence to better resonate with their audience. The first step was to begin a strategic discovery to identify weaknesses and inconsistencies across all touchpoints. As part of the brand refresh, I conducted an in-depth brand audit that helped clarify some of the weaknesses that were hindering the brand. One of them stood out to me the most: the heavy use of playful illustrations. This issue presented a challenge right away; this playful approach didn't align correctly with their more serious, large enterprises, government sectors, and fintech ideal customers D2iQ was targeting.
SOLUTION
As a Kubernetes platform, D2iQ needed its brand to convey authority, refinement, and clarity to enterprise-level companies and government sectors. My solution was to make sure D2iQ’s brand better reflected their brand presence by establishing a strategic brand foundation and a unified identity system that reflected the company’s vision, values, and expertise. The first steps I took included a process of brand simplification and removal of unnecessary and outdated design elements that no longer added value or were no longer aligned with the brand. I created clear guidelines to ensure consistency across internal teams and external agencies. Next, streamlined the visual language across all touchpoints, creating new go-to-market product collateral, landing pages, and product sales decks. By removing outdated design elements in the brand, I achieved a cohesive, scalable, enterprise-ready brand that clearly communicated D2iQ’s value proposition.
WEBSITE, MARKETING COLLATERAL, AND SALES DECK
Once the brand foundation and identity system were updated to reflect a more serious, professional, and consistent brand experience, I moved on to other aspects of the brand identity that also needed updating, like their website, marketing collateral, and sales decks. The old and irrelevant design materials were still being used to create collateral by both internal and external team members without clear guidance, which made the brand appear less professional and less credible to high-value, technical customers.
SOLUTION
My solution centered on creating a clearer, more authoritative visual design structure that aligned with an enterprise-level audience. I prioritized clarity, hierarchy, and a refined, professional tone tailored to high-value decision-makers in government sectors and enterprise environments.
To achieve this, I re-evaluated the brand’s visual language and removed playful illustrations that diluted the brand’s credibility. In their place, I introduced high-quality images that better reflected the sophistication of the audience and the mission-critical nature of the product. I also incorporated platform screenshots to highlight real product value and provide a more transparent, trust-driven visual story for engineers, IT leaders, and procurement teams.
From a design perspective, I refined the use of typography, color, imagery, and iconography, ensuring each element supported strong hierarchy. This updated visual structure reinforced brand authority and created a cohesive experience across all digital touchpoints, including the website, marketing collateral, and sales decks.
TRADE SHOW BOOTH DESIGN & EVENT BRANDING
While the company operated a sophisticated, enterprise-grade platform for managing Kubernetes infrastructure, many brand assets still carried a playful and informal aesthetic. This created a disconnect between the brand’s visual expression and its positioning as a trusted Kubernetes partner for large-scale organizations, government sectors, and regulated industries.
SOLUTION
This new design approach was achieved by implementing the use of white as a giant canvas, a streamlined design style, clean typography, structured messaging, and strategic lighting and color placement created a modern, high-impact presence. Product messaging and value statements were prominently featured to attract technical buyers while maintaining visual simplicity. The booth design served as an immersive brand touchpoint that reinforced D2iQ’s credibility and helped spark meaningful conversations with enterprise decision-makers.
EMPLOYER BRANDING & SWAG DESIGN
The challenge was to move away from a playful illustration-style design and adopt a more premium, modern, and enterprise-ready look—while retaining D2iQ’s original brand identity and applying it across trade show booths, employer branding, and swag design.
In addition to my external design responsibilities, I strengthened the internal brand experience by partnering with the HR team to redesign the careers and culture sections of the website, highlighting the company’s mission, values, and story in a way that resonated with engineers and top tech talent.
For company swag, I developed a full suite of branded merchandise — including t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles, stickers, and even Zoom backgrounds — all designed to reflect the company’s culture, mission, and vision in a fun, thoughtful, and meaningful way that employees could use and enjoy.
