STRATEGIC ASSET CREATION
The Why SMBs Need HCM Guide
Role: Visual Strategy Lead, Content Designer, Asset Creator Timeframe: 1.5 Week
Impact: High-Value Lead Generation, Sales Support
The guide addressed the multifaceted responsibilities of HR leaders in small and medium-sized businesses. The core challenge was to visually capture the complexity and potential overwhelm of managing numerous HR functions without an integrated HCM system, while still encouraging engagement.
Goals:
Overwhelm: Needed to visually represent leaders "juggling" recruiting, payroll, development, etc.
Engagement: The long-form, technical topic required an immediate, relatable hook to secure readership.
Sales Enablement: Create clear visual aids and data representations that Sales teams could easily pull out and
use in conversations.
THE STRATEGIC PROBLEM:
TRANSLATING COMPLEXITY
THE SOLUTION: VISUALIZING DATA
AND NARRATIVE FLOW
I collaborated with our amazing content writer, and the "Juggling Plates" metaphor emerged as the core visual solution.
Metaphor: The cover depicts an illustrated HiBob-style HR leader attempting to keep several realistically rendered plates spinning atop poles.
Maintain Visual Consistency: Ensure the final product was clearly aligned with the core brand while being uniquely expressive.
This intentionally blended the HiBob approachable illustration style with grounded realism to communicate the human effort involved in managing numerous, concrete tasks.
Goal: Create an immediate, relatable image that resonates with SMB leaders and HR professionals.
BOLDER SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT
Beyond the guide itself, I focused on evolving our visual language for promotion. I designed an eight-slide LinkedIn carousel to be bolder and more modern than our typical social output.
Visual Innovation:
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Bolder Look: Utilized the "Champion" font for headlines (a departure from our standard typography) to create a striking layout and set a new, high-impact tone.
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Messaging: Each slide paired a prominent headline (key HCM benefit) with black and white cropped imagery and supporting HiBob-style illustrations, ensuring high impact and readability on social media.
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Goal: Use the carousel as an opportunity to explore creative boundaries and subtly push the brand's visual language forward.
IMPACT, RESULTS & BRAND EVOLUTION
High Engagement
The innovative design of the LinkedIn carousel resulted in a notable increase in likes compared to typical engagement, validating the bolder approach.
Positive Feedback
The Social Media Manager provided positive feedback highlighting the success in capturing audience attention.
Brand Evolution
Successfully introduced a bolder, more modern visual style for social media, demonstrating the ability to evolve the brand's look while staying true to its core identity.
