Put knowledge to work

Founded in 1959 in Kyoto, Kyocera built its reputation in industrial ceramics before diversifying into electronics. Kyocera Group is proud of its purpose-driven approach to doing business and its founder, Dr Kazuo Inamori is known in his own right for his business philosophy.

The print and document industry is undergoing significant change as it moves away from paper towards cloud storage and digital management solutions. Whilst known for its hardware, Kyocera Document Solutions’ history of innovation meant that the company saw the industry’s move away from paper as an opportunity, and was keen to transform the business in line with the possibilities offered by new technology.

Kyocera developed a broad range of new software and consulting solutions that answered their core mission of document management for the digital era. A brand refresh was needed to explain the holistic change they were undergoing. They had a new product range and wanted to drive their transformation inside and outside the business.

To help Kyocera Document Solutions transform, we first had to understand their business inside out. We interviewed 80 stakeholders in 8 different markets and travelled to offices in Japan, the USA, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK. We mapped the customer journey from start to finish in workshops and consulted sales partners and customers. In every location, we found a team of people committed to implementing real change, passionate about developing new solutions for the future of business.

Based on these insights, we created the brand idea ‘Put Knowledge To Work’. This represents Kyocera Document Solutions’ core motivation for everything they do: whether by providing printers that increase efficiency and productivity or by supporting their clients with consulting services, Kyocera’s entire operation is about helping organisations turn their knowledge into action. This complements Kyocera Group’s Philosophy, which commits to add value and achieving excellence.

At the heart of Kyocera Document Solutions’ success is its people. The company stands apart for the way that its staff combines technological excellence and business expertise with empathy and guidance to create real value for customers. As such, it was essential for all employees to be a part of the new brand.

Saffron devised a Train-The-Trainer programme to kick-start the diffusion of the new brand throughout the company. We introduced the brand to managers across the world, equipping them with the tools to make the brand real for their teams. The brand platform was developed as a reference for more than 70,000 global employees to diffuse the brand values and personality throughout the global operation.

The visual identity brings to life the strategic narrative whilst bringing a consistent and logical expression across the global markets in which Kyocera operates. The concept focuses on two key assets – the Base pattern; a visible grid structure representing the efficiencies and technical expertise on offer and Gestures; representing the culture of empathetic partnership – the human side to the business and the ability to transform information into knowledge.

Overall, the visual identity represents a fusion of efficient, digitalised and procedural qualities with a humanistic, intuitive and advisory attitude – a balance of data and knowledge.

With brand and identity finalised, we devised a way of spreading the word across 17 countries and countless sales partners. We created guidelines and templates allowing dealers to represent the company and brand when they make sales. These platforms were then available online for all employees to access.

The brand was launched across Europe in April 2019. The new brand is designed to carry Kyocera into the future, with a platform that helps define and articulate its growing offering. It positions the customer at the very centre of everything Kyocera does, ensuring that they are catering to their needs, whether that’s through securing networks or improving document storage. It helps Kyocera transition from a company focused on products to one focused on clients.