bloomforce
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About the company
bloomforce, LLC (formerly Onward Consultants) is a leading boutique healthcare IT staffing firm specializing in flexible, sustainable, and customized workforce solutions for hospital IT departments, with a focus on staff augmentation, team-based augmentation, contract-to-hire, and direct-hire recruitment.
Overview
While trading as Onward Consultants, the business faced a pivotal moment that necessitated a rebrand due to trademark challenges as well as the need to better align with their target audience and foster brand loyalty. I was hired by Zach Alpern - Managing Director, to spearhead this transformation, which encompassed a comprehensive rebrand, website redesign, and web development.
Objective
The goal was to create a distinctive brand and website that would make a lasting impression on both candidates and clients, setting bloomforce apart from the fierce recruiting competition.
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Empathizing
Asking the right questions
Understanding business objectives, target audience, and user needs is crucial to the success of any branding and design project. To gain valuable insights, a detailed questionnaire was provided to the client at the outset of the project.
Empathizing
A deeper dive into business goals and target audience
After analyzing the questionnaire responses, a stakeholder interview and workshop was organized to gain further clarity and insights. This process deepened understanding, ensuring that the project aligned closely with both business and user needs.
Empathizing
Creating user personas
Based on the insights gathered, I developed personas centered around three key user groups: hiring managers, full-time employee candidates, and consulting candidates, fostering greater empathy for the intended audiences.
Defining
The problem
It became evident quickly that the primary challenge was a lack of trust from both clients and candidates—a well-known issue in the recruiting industry. However, I was able to pinpoint three key factors contributing to this distrust: the absence of a human-centered approach from recruiters, a limited understanding of IT healthcare-specific needs, and inadequate placement of candidates with the right roles or projects.
Defining
The solution
To establish a brand identity that embodies bloomforce’s core values—empathy, alignment, advancement, and healthcare IT excellence—while seamlessly implementing it across all marketing and digital channels, with the aim of enhancing brand awareness and fostering loyalty from both clients and candidates.
Brand Strategy + Identity
Positioning + messaging
Brand positioning and messaging are essential for creating a strong brand identity, as they shape how customers perceive, engage with, and remain loyal to a brand.
To build a compelling brand for bloomforce, I leveraged the insights we gathered in the discovery/empathizing stage to lay the foundation of its identity.
We started by defining the Unique Value Proposition (UVP), clearly articulating what differentiates bloomforce from competitors and how it addresses customer needs. This informed the development of a positioning statement aligned with the UVP, brand values, and marketing strategy. I then established bloomforce’s brand personality, setting the tone for its messaging framework, which included the Tagline, Mission Statement, Vision Statement, Brand Story, and Tone of Voice.
Brand Strategy + Identity
Visual identity
A brand’s visual identity is the tangible expression of its core values and messaging. Building on bloomforce’s foundational brand positioning, I expanded the visual identity to ensure cohesive and consistent designs across all touchpoints. The process began with the creation of a mood board, setting the creative direction and tone.
I then meticulously curated bloomforce’s visual elements—including the logo, color palette, typography, imagery, and graphics—into cohesive brand guidelines. Each element was carefully harmonized to craft a compelling and memorable narrative, designed to make a lasting impact on both clients and candidates.
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Web Design (UI/UX)
Sitemapping
At the beginning of the web design phase, I developed a site map to ensure an optimal navigation structure and content organization from the outset.
Web Design (UI/UX)
Wireframing
Next, I created wireframes to define the content layout for both desktop and mobile, while gaining deeper insights into the user journey and overall flow.
Web Design (UI/UX)
High-fidelity designs
I then progressed to designing high-fidelity mockups, seamlessly integrating the information architecture with bloomforce's cohesive visual identity.
Web Design (UI/UX)
Responsive for all screen sizes
Responsive design is always at the forefront of my mind while designing websites. Designing for every screen size increases engagement, and ensures accessibility for a wider audience, while also helping with SEO and staying competitive in the digital landscape.
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Web Design (UI/UX)
Before and after
Webflow Development
Bringing designs to life with Webflow
After the high-fidelity designs were approved, I transitioned to Webflow to develop a structurally sound and fully functional website, utilizing the Client-First system.
Brand Design
Expanding marketing collateral
In addition to designing bloomforce’s website, I developed a range of marketing collateral to ensure brand consistency across all assets and channels. This included reports, guides, PDFs, and more.
Zach Alpren
CEO Managing Director, bloomforce
