Clockwise is an AI-powered calendar app that builds schedules around your preferences, like lunch breaks and working hours. I led the visual identity refresh, collaborating with the founders, Head of Design, and CMO.
Clockwise is an AI-powered calendar app that builds schedules around your preferences, like lunch breaks and working hours. I led the visual identity refresh, collaborating with the founders, Head of Design, and CMO.
The project was ambitious—kicking off in April, unveiling a new identity by July, and launching in November. The scope included a full marketing site redesign (40+ pages), design systems for email, social, presentations, and web, plus a reskinned product and numerous org-wide surfaces.
And I handled it all solo. 😅
The project was ambitious—kicking off in April, unveiling a new identity by July, and launching in November. The scope included a full marketing site redesign (40+ pages), design systems for email, social, presentations, and web, plus a reskinned product and numerous org-wide surfaces.
And I handled it all solo. 😅
The previous Clockwise logo intended to signal productivity but felt generic, resembling a to-do list app. Early explorations leaned into the idea of making the "C" of Clockwise stand out.
The previous Clockwise logo intended to signal productivity but felt generic, resembling a to-do list app. Early explorations leaned into the idea of making the "C" of Clockwise stand out.
The ❇️ symbol, carrying the same brand equity as the logo, marks optimized events like rescheduled 1:1s. Its keyword, “assistant,” aligns with Clockwise’s mission—helping users create schedules they love. This provided the perfect foundation to build upon.
The ❇️ symbol, carrying the same brand equity as the logo, marks optimized events like rescheduled 1:1s. Its keyword, “assistant,” aligns with Clockwise’s mission—helping users create schedules they love. This provided the perfect foundation to build upon.
The rest of the identity—colors, type, art direction, illustration, icons, and photography—quickly followed. For color, we simplified the existing system, streamlining naming and improving accessibility, creating a palette that was both easier to manage and more inclusive.
The rest of the identity—colors, type, art direction, illustration, icons, and photography—quickly followed. For color, we simplified the existing system, streamlining naming and improving accessibility, creating a palette that was both easier to manage and more inclusive.
The previous identity leaned heavily on illustration, creating a big dependency on a single illustrator. Shifting to photography provided a scalable solution, reducing bottlenecks while making the brand feel more mature and distinctive.
The previous identity leaned heavily on illustration, creating a big dependency on a single illustrator. Shifting to photography provided a scalable solution, reducing bottlenecks while making the brand feel more mature and distinctive.
Alongside illustration, emojis were a key part of the previous identity. While fun, they’re ubiquitous—especially in startups—making it harder to stand out. Execution was also inconsistent, ranging from highly detailed 🍲 to ultra-simple ❇️. I switched to an open-source library, →Phosphor, to give personality while being easy to use.
Alongside illustration, emojis were a key part of the previous identity. While fun, they’re ubiquitous—especially in startups—making it harder to stand out. Execution was also inconsistent, ranging from highly detailed 🍲 to ultra-simple ❇️. I switched to an open-source library, →Phosphor, to give personality while being easy to use.
Simplistic, rounded blocks were used to evoke the humble calendar event, appearing across marketing and internal design, including our company values pictograms
Simplistic, rounded blocks were used to evoke the humble calendar event, appearing across marketing and internal design, including our company values pictograms
The second phase focused on redesigning key surfaces for the November launch, including a 40+ page marketing site, email, social, blog, ad, and presentation design systems. Reskinned onboarding and the core product, along with a soft launch moment were included.
The second phase focused on redesigning key surfaces for the November launch, including a 40+ page marketing site, email, social, blog, ad, and presentation design systems. Reskinned onboarding and the core product, along with a soft launch moment were included.
The second phase focused on redesigning key surfaces for the November launch, including a 40+ page marketing site, email, social, blog, ad, and presentation design systems. Reskinned onboarding and the core product, along with a soft launch moment were included.
I began by auditing the site’s structure, identifying and counting recurring layouts—footer, CTA, hero text, river components, image blocks, and more. This provided a clear view of design system needs and patterns, especially from a responsive perspective.
Internal-facing surfaces are just as important as external ones. On the marketing side, several request forms received subtle but meaningful upgrades, improving usability and visual consistency.
One of my favorite parts of a rebrand is seeing the company truly embrace it. A simple gesture—like the new logo in stickies on the office window—showed that people were genuinely excited and connected to what it represented.
One of my favorite parts of a rebrand is seeing the company truly embrace it. A simple gesture—like the new logo in stickies on the office window—showed that people were genuinely excited and connected to what it represented.
Project deets
Project deets
Timeline
Kick off — 4/10
Guidelines — 7/1
Launch — 11/1
Scope
Visual Identity
Redesign 40+ page site
Email, social, web, icon, illus systems
Reskinned product
Soft launch
Team
Character, agency
Fran, CMO
Charles, Head of Design
Matt, CEO
Gary, CTO
Lulu, Illustrator
Grace, Designer