Avantus

Avantus Federal, launched in 2020, is the result of the merging of seven fast-moving businesses in the intelligence, defence, and homeland security markets in the United States accelerated by phenomenal talent growth. A critical challenge of the rebrand was to seamlessly tell the story of this complex and differentiated offer, whilst remaining flexible enough to accommodate future acquisitions.

E3/Sentinel wanted to create a new hero brand that encompassed all of its merged and acquired businesses, without losing the trust and established relationships with employees and current clients. The company required an articulated shared purpose that showcases its continued support to the US government.

The organisation is a strategic partner to the US government, so the new brand positioning had to elevate the knowledge and expertise within those seven businesses and retain their reputation of delivering high-quality talent to critically important missions for its clients. The newly created brand had to further raise the company’s differentiated offer of various areas of expertise.

FutureBrand was tasked with creating the new hero brand name and developing the brand strategy alongside a clear visual architecture. Through active and aspirational language, we reflected the competitive advantage that employees play on missions and the organisation’s heavy investment in its talent, signifying Avantus’ dedication to meeting the high expectations and critical needs of its customers.

We elevated the company’s business portfolio under the new name – Avantus – which symbolises the advancement and advantage it brings to clients, whilst incorporating human personality attributes. As a crucial point from the newly created brand architecture, the tagline 'Empowering Eminence' acts as a brand umbrella for the organisation’s purpose, values, personality, and positioning.

The visual identity consists of bold logo design, bespoke icons, and a warm welcoming colour palette to ensure a master-brand equity and cohesion across all business units. Acting as a beacon online and on printed materials, it symbolises Avantus’ purpose in delivering high-quality solutions to its clients.

On the other hand, the verbal identity is structured into different architecture pillars, which are client-centric and based on the brand attributes of eminence, mission, and people. This allows for customers to easily differentiate between Avantus’ varied areas of expertise.

In addition, we developed an Acquisition Playbook that introduces the Avantus brand to new employees and highlights the advantages of a hero brand with shared values during the merger process. It will act as an additional asset to onboard future employees and highlight the company’s dedication to support its clients as well as its people in the best possible way.

"FutureBrand led us through an entire brand transformation at the most key moment for our business, stakeholders and talent. It was never just about the name – it was always about what the brand will stand for. FutureBrand clears away the fog from all the noise, so teams can focus on the most critical items at the most critical time. The team operates within quality and timeliness standards as high as any organisation I have ever worked with." - Andy Maner, CEO Avantus.