Brand identity · Design system · Strategy
Formula.
Monks
Overview.
Monks takes on enterprise technology services.
In late 2023, I was brought in to Monks to solve a delicate problem: how do you merge two powerhouse tech consultancies, TheoremOne and Zemoga, into a single, unified identity under Monks without losing the soul of either? The merger created Formula.Monks, Monks' new enterprise technology and consulting division. But the challenge was clear. Our audience wasn't ad execs. It was CTOs, CIOs, and digital transformation leads. And the loud, colorful energy of the Monks brand wasn't going to cut it. My role was to recalibrate. I built a brand system that honored the legacy of both TheoremOne and Zemoga, weaving in their cultural and visual DNA while scaling back the more exuberant elements of Monks. I landed on a visual identity that felt credible in the boardroom and authentic to the teams who built it. A brand that could walk into an enterprise meeting and feel right at home.
The work.
Information Technology
Technology
Industry
Product / Brand Designer
Role
2023
Timeline
Brand guidelines
Brand identity
Design system
Strategy
UX/UI design
Services
Tools
What was delivered.
Formula.Monks is the evolution of Monks, a rebrand I led to unify the engineering powerhouses of TheoremOne, Zemoga, Formula Consultants, and Proof under one cohesive identity. It was a full teardown and rebuild: new logo, new colors, new layout system, starting from the most basic elements and working back up. Monks' own guidelines had real gaps, no accessibility breakdowns, no defined logo use cases, no rules for how colors could and couldn't be used, so part of the job was writing the rules that didn't exist yet. I also defined a distinct tone of voice for Formula.Monks, internal and external, separate from Monks' own, and mocked up how it would show up everywhere: clothing, signage, business cards, the full physical footprint of the brand.
Research.
In early conversations with Brady Brim-Deforest, then CEO of Formula.Monks, it was clear the merger of TheoremOne and Zemoga deserved more than a logo swap. We studied how each brand showed up on its own and how those identities could sit naturally within the broader Monks ecosystem, aiming for something that felt distinct but never disconnected.
To get there, we stripped back some of the louder visual cues. Animations were dialed down. Scribbles and bright backgrounds gave way to tighter grids, calmer tones, and more deliberate design choices. We kept the bold type, the vibrant accents, and the sharp modern feel, but made sure everything served the story rather than distracting from it.
Color conscious.
The official Monks color palette included 11 core colors, plus pastel and tinted variations, bringing the total to 33. Without clear use cases, accessibility standards, or documentation, things quickly leaned more into creative interpretation than consistency.
For Formula.Monks, I took a different approach. The goal was to ground the brand with a more restrained palette and give teams the structure they needed to work confidently within it. I narrowed things down to a set of neutrals, primary and secondary tones, and subtle overlays. In the end, the identity centered around just three signature colors: Formula.Red, Formula.Blue, and Formula.Green. With strong guidelines and pre-built assets in place, teams could move fast without second-guessing the system.
Align and define.
Since joining forces with S4 Capital in 2018, Monks, still known as Media.Monks at the time, kept building momentum, landing on Adweek's Fastest Growing lists year after year, breaking into Cannes Lions' Top 10 Creative Companies, and holding its place in AdExchanger's Programmatic Power Players for five straight years.
Enter Formula.Monks. Creative-services clients were consolidating with bigger agencies or bringing work in-house, and AI was starting to eat into the same market Monks had built its name on. Enterprise technology services looked like real whitespace, so Monks acquired TheoremOne, a software development and technology consulting agency, then brought in Zemoga to pair a design partner alongside it. I am grateful to Brady Brim-Deforest and Sir Martin Sorrell for trusting me to shape the identity that would bring Formula.Monks into the fold. It carries the energy of Monks but stands tall on its own, clear, refined, and confident.
Before launch, we equipped the team with hundreds of ready-to-use slide decks, templates, and a folder system designed for collaboration across disciplines. There were early doubts from some corners of the creative team, but the final product won them over. What we delivered was more than just a look and feel. It was a brand the team could believe in, and one that fits seamlessly into the broader Monks ecosystem.
Results.
Results came fast. Monthly traffic jumped by over 25,000 visitors within months of launch, LinkedIn followers climbed past 27,000, and the business closed out 2024 with $170 million in revenue.
