Designing Sendbird’s 2022 hiring campaign
Hello, I’m Jenn, Creative Designer of the Visual Design Team. Sendbird carried out a massive hiring campaign in the 1st half of 2022.
Designing the first impression
Hiring campaigns can be the first moment a potential candidate gets to know a company. Therefore, it should reflect the unique color and philosophy of the company and give a positive impression and a sense of anticipation.
Having just joined the company, I vividly remember the impression I had with Sendbird as a candidate. To me, Sendbird was a company with a culture that allows employees to be their best selves by fully recognizing personal growth and potential. I was able to grasp Sendbird’s philosophy and values through the CEO’s YouTube channel (John’s random thoughts, 존잡생각) and the 7 Core Values on the company’s website. Sendbird also had a great benefits system called BYBS (Be Your Best Self) that provides cash equivalents up to $3,500 with which employees can invest in their self-development, rejuvenation, hobbies, and wellness. After joining Sendbird, the brand direction reiterated within the design team was to pursue a human brand that connects people in a digital world rather than a tech brand.
Campaign theme: Explore your next step
While designing the concept of the campaign, we thought about how we could form an image that can appeal to the potential candidates within the context of recruiting. In order to derive the visual concept, we narrowed down specific keywords: personal growth, career development, and the BYBS culture. And we landed on a campaign copy that encompasses all of these keywords: ‘Explore your next step’.
We used our primary color purple along with the green accent color to add a luminous touch to the search bar graphic, delivering a positive and bright image. We were also inspired by a spectrum of light diverging into various wavelengths and alluded to an individual’s potential expanding in diverse ways.
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We type into the search bar to look for the information we need, whether it be checking the weather or making a purchase. Taking note of this simple act that has become very natural, we placed a search bar, a metaphor for an individual exploring career growth.
We made the intuitive search bar three-dimensional to show more depth, laid the campaign copy behind the semi-transparent search bar, and applied a magnifying effect on the typeface. Due to the horizontal length of the search bar, there was a limitation to available formats. The intent was to use graphic elements that represent the Sendbird SDK when necessary in order to present a consistent campaign image even in cases where various standards and layouts are applied.
The enlarged effect on overlapping graphics stands for expanding personal growth and potential when one explores their career path. We wanted to deliver a consistent brand experience by forming a design ecosystem throughout the hiring process that involves brand advertisements, the hiring website, and even Zoom backgrounds for the recruiting team.
Going behind the scenes
Managing the employer brand is a critical part of a hiring campaign. While directing the art of the hiring campaign, we developed and visualized abstract ideas so that they could be leveraged in various channels. Above all, I had the opportunity to persuade the team with ideas and visuals. I put my best effort as a designer to provide a better experience to the potential candidates and practice ‘endless tenacity for customers’, and ‘better than the best’ among Sendbird’s 7 core values.
During the process, I was given the autonomy to freely express my ideas and experienced a culture that encourages members to try new things. Also, I kept making improvements to the project by receiving feedback that allowed me to see the bigger picture. Despite the short timeframe, I was able to witness the alignment between the Design, Recruiting, and Marketing teams with a supportive culture based on mutual trust.
The 2022 Hiring Campaign was also a meaningful experience for me as a designer to explore my own next step and discover my growth potential. I recommend everyone reading this article to join Sendbird as your next step!
