Achieving a ten-year milestone is an uncommon feat. Nonetheless, Zing, an exclusive studio specializing in motion design and animation serving a diverse range of brands, agencies, and humanitarian organizations, has done precisely that. Founded ten years ago by Alex Turner and Emily Bennett, Zing took a brave plunge into the unknown, setting off on a convoluted route to its current status. This journey is now reflected in its newly revealed brand identity, embellished with a motif of dynamic swirls.

Launching as an element of Zing's ten-year anniversary festivity, the fresh brand identity was meticulously sculpted to genuinely depict the studio's contemporary phase. Vibrant, adventurous, and transcending its prior iteration, Zing's refreshed branding showcases a visual story tangled with swirling patterns, encapsulating not just the studio's tale but also the fluid travel lines innate in animation.

Remain true to their central principles, Zing has consistently prioritized authenticity in their creative judgement process. They spent their formative years establishing a robust portfolio and credibility, but now Zing has turned its attention to leaving a deeper, long-lasting impression through their work. "Persistent in our endeavour for betterment is built into our culture, prompting the need for our brand's evolution," articulates Alex. "It hinges on capturing our collective identity accurately as a team and as a studio, rather than transforming into something completely new."

The principles of excellence, minimalism, and compassion have played a substantial role in shaping the revamped Zing brand. This is manifested in the comfortable neutral shades of the colour scheme, accented by surprising bursts of intensive orange, green, and yellow. The new, appealing look radiates calmness and affability.

Furthermore, these colour selections are not only visually appealing but also energy-effective, targeting Zing's primarily online existence. The palette was chosen with careful consideration for screen compatibility, featuring a smart contrast and a dark grey backdrop geared towards the rising use of OLED displays. Along with amiable updates to the typography, the brand's image perfectly captures the interest of both the corporate world and creative industry.

However, the fundamental motivation behind the rebranding was the idea of motion. Zing aspired for their brand to convey a feeling of vitality even in fixed form, reflecting the nature of their output. "For the first time, we've examined our brand holistically as a manifestation of our fervour and expertise," observes Emily. "As a design and animation studio, it was vital for every facet of our brand, our logo inclusive, to capture the essence of motion."

In the year 2014, my colleague Alex and I began our collaboration at a video production company, taking charge of the motion section. Everything seemed perfect, yet we found certain elements vexing. It was in this phase that Bob, my partner, mooted a thought: "How about setting up your own business?" I conveyed this to Alex, and soon we were persuaded by a compelling email to take that bold step. Hence, we did!

Our main driving force was to build something fuelled by our commitment and excitement, where we could maintain absolute control and not feel depreciated or in conflict with our intuition. We envisioned a workspace where everyone felt a deep sense of belonging and ownership — as if we were united for a common cause. Besides, we wanted the journey to be fun-filled.

We take serious steps to ensure our team is valued and appreciated for their remarkable talent, whilst realizing that they are, after all, fulfilling work duties. If they decide to explore new avenues, that's absolutely acceptable — provided it's the best choice for them. However, if their departure is due to our inadequacies like silence on their views, unjust pay or any other factor credited to us, then we take full responsibility.

Our eventual aim was to establish a lifestyle business — not intending to be complacent and settle for average, but out of conviction that we could deliver extraordinary work without compromising our personal space to excessive workload and burnout. We set out to create an effective, well managed studio ambiance to mitigate stress and pave way for ingenious thinking and evolvement, ensuring everyone had the freedom to chase their off-work passions.

Attaining B Corp certification has long been a key objective for us, and it has already been factored into our plans for 2023/24. Thus, I hold a hopeful outlook that our application will be lodged prior to the financial year's closure. I'm cognizant that viewpoints regarding B Corp might diverge, but to us, it signifies an official acknowledgement for the advances accumulated over the last couple of years — improvements in our procedures, regulations, organizational culture, and attitude.

The idea that our everyday work (producing animations for companies) can generate a beneficial ripple effect reaching not just our clientele but our staff, local community, and the environment is genuinely motivating. This represents our ambition and we're keen to encourage others to accompany us on this voyage.