Microsoft INC.

How do you reignite Microsoft’s commitment to industry challenges? A new “skunkworks” innovation lab within Microsoft was formed to create new software that would scale up to solve industry-wide problems. Our challenge was bringing the lab’s identity to life in a memorable way. We realized the sweet spot would be balancing a descriptive name — to convey the lab’s purpose clearly — with magnetic communications that would inspire Microsoft employees, attract prospects, and reflect the team’s creative culture.

We encapsulated the lab’s purpose in the name “Industry & Customer Success,” or “INC.” for short. We then activated the acronym by illustrating the letterforms within a series of immersive scenes that celebrate each key industry served at a glance. The illustrations engage Microsoft’s customers on both a micro and macro scale by visually telling a human story alongside broad technology challenges.

This way of communicating INC.’s role gave the team a larger narrative about finding the human truth in their work. The series of illustrations were first unveiled within Microsoft at an all-hands keynote, then launched around the company’s headquarters and beyond to coincide with the announcement of the INC. lab. Both the naming strategy and creative execution have crystallized the lab’s mission.

3D MODELER:
Frederico Phillips