Koto rebrands Glassdoor with friendly illustrations and a typeface inspired by office vernacular

The job searching site Glassdoor has undergone its first major rebrand, carried out by the London-based design studio Koto. In a complete overhaul of the company’s verbal and visual identity, the rebrand has launched with a new mobile app and website experience. At the core of the rebrand is highlighting Glassdoor's reimagined mission of “creating a healthier, more transparent work community for all”, a press release explains. In full, the rebrand features a new tagline (“Where work talk gets real”), a vibrant colour palette, line-based illustrations, a custom typeface and motion features.

The rebrand’s new typographic logo aims to bring Glassdoor’s positioning of “being the centre of workplace conversations” to life, says the release. To create the typeface, Koto partnered with Giulia Boggio on Glassdoor Sans, “a charming and functional geometric sans serif that features quirky characteristics inspired by office vernacular”. It features a “fresh and gutsy” uppercase treatment, and an animated element that makes it swing open – a nod to the company’s name.

To further enhance the community aspect of the rebrand, Koto also partnered with Josep Puy to create a “sophisticated” yet “playful” illustration library that visualises the key themes Koto was working with – “conversation, diversity, anonymity and collaboration”. Moreover, to enhance the digital user experience, the site will feature custom emojis which have been added to increase “personality and expressiveness”, the press release explains. Important data and findings will now be presented with fresh infographics and illustrative storytelling, all finished with a motion system that mimics typing and scrolling, as inspired by the product experience. All of these elements come together to create “a streamlined product experience where interaction aims to foster authentic discussions on important subjects such as equal pay, workplace diversity and life beyond work,” the press release continues.

“Our work with Glassdoor was focused on creating a holistic brand that exudes confidence and open-mindedness, amplifying users' voices through transparent conversations and real workplace insights,” says Deanna Gorman, Koto’s Creative Director. “The logo, typography, illustrations, icons and unique brand voice act as powerful amplifiers of Glassdoor's mission, reflecting their commitment to participating in a healthier and more transparent work community for all.”