Globally successful companies like Perion are inherently complex. Perion has long been an established player in the adtech space and, as it’s grown, its structure has evolved. So, one of the very first tasks of the branding project was an assessment of that structure. Our Focus Lab brand strategist looked closely at Perion’s trajectory, its goals for the branding project, and evaluated several brand architecture approaches that created the cultural cohesiveness Perion sought while complementing its future business strategy.

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Outside of the business’ structure, Focus Lab collaborated with the Perion team to select four brand attributes: Brave, Confident, Dynamic, and Innovative. These authentic representations of Perion’s essence and personality helped the project team craft a positioning strategy, brand concept and, eventually, new visual identity.

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The Focus Lab team created a brand concept to inspire messaging, both verbal and visual. That concept: Vantage.

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Why Vantage? Because Perion’s perspective is so different. Perion’s technology, and how it predominantly serves to create that connection between people and the brands. It’s quite literally an advantage. Pioneering. Always out front. Pushing the boundaries of the possible.

Although the publicly traded, parent, and holding company to several well-known brands, Perion was the least known of each of the companies in its portfolio. A series of acquisitions had left the brand family distant and diluted. Awareness and capital growth were challenging, as was the internal management of so many freestanding brand identities. So we went to work, researching and evaluating each entity and interviewing executives along the way to ensure alignment and proper rollout.

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Our process for brand architecture occurs simultaneously with our strategy, meaning we are making recommendations, decisions, and directives each week based on the previous week’s findings. For Perion, we reached clarity when we zeroed in on the commonalities between their brand audiences, their shared internal methodologies, and a compelling gap among competitors in the market. A branded house style architecture would allow Perion to be seen as the de facto universe for cutting-edge adtech solutions across advertisers and publishers. But what type?

A branded house style looks to achieve objectives like unity, simplicity, and cohesion, but there are many paths to getting there. Twilio, Apple, and Meta — these are all reasonable brand architecture examples that demonstrate a sense of relation and consistency between different, but like-minded, offerings, M&As, and the parent brand. We asked questions like, “What type of story do we want to tell about our portfolio?” “What amount of change feels acceptable for our investors and customers?” and “What is the reality of our internal needs and circumstances?” We were ready to send the message that Perion was new and better than ever, and brand architecture allowed us to make that message loud and clear.

After working through both brand and content strategy, we created a style in the sub-branded house architecture. In the short-term, this structure also includes a Perion endorsement for the first year. Each of the existing brands have become extensions of the larger Perion brand, adopting its new visual and verbal identity. Additionally, we systemized how Perion will continue adding to its portfolio through future M&As, expansions, and technology advancements. Our brand architecture solution gave Perion the room to grow in recognition and portfolio strengths as the companies work diligently to bring their tech products and teams into coexistence.

In keeping with the Vantage theme — and representing an elevated viewpoint — the project team created a logo named Apex. With four orb-like elements working in concert to create cohesion and dimension, Apex embodies and evokes the very best of Perion.

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Its 3-D effect conjures dynamism — the kind that directs light, knowledge, and knowhow in all directions. In the logo’s negative space we see where art and science blend to create compelling advertising technology. And the logo’s four shapes represent Perion’s people — their diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. The combined effect is a symbol that is cohesive, representative, and enlivened with the kind of energy that rallies people, and connects them.

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Coupled with the logo is a custom logotype that literally embodies Perion’s drive to be out front, ahead, and brave. When locked up with the logo, the effect screams acceleration and takes the brand to a place no other can claim. For this reason, and inspired by our brand concept, we call the effect The Perspective Shift.

Stemming from the logo, the orb-like elements extend to create dynamic effects, made possible by textures inspired by pop art. The result is a portal effect, enhanced by one of the brand's primary colors — Peri, an electrified, reddish purple — and violet, which serves in the secondary palette. In addition to Peri, black and white make up the primary palette. And the brand lives on black backgrounds, evoking artful, technical, and bold vibes.

Other features — orb-like photo cropping and compositions — further extend the logo and unify the brand. Meanwhile, typefaces like Flecha M — Perion’s primary font — blend artful and structured effects to communicate the brand’s premium feel. The result? Sophistication without rigidity.

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Once we’d established Perion’s visual identity, we worked with their team to create high-fidelity mockups — complete with conceptual copywriting — to make the brand’s website come to life.

A key design involved the main navigation and footer, key areas that not only create a cohesive experience for users, but also communicate the intentional and unity of a brand and its offerings.