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Mind the Product

Sunday Rewind: The good, bad, and ugly of OKRs by Jenny Herald

Product Management

Martin Eriksson

Megan is co-founder of Make Good, a design partnership on a mission to use the power of good design to make good things happen; environmentally and socially. Having worked with Mind the Product since the start of 2018, Megan is particularly interested in the important role digital products, and the people who create them, have in steering the direction of our society and planet.

Megan Sayers

<p>Over the coming days, weeks, and months you&#8217;ll notice that our brand has received a bit of a makeover. In this post, we&#8217;ll reveal how we&#8217;ve chosen to elevate our beloved venn, brand colours, and more.</p>
<p>Mind the Product started as ProductTank in 2010 &#8211; a simple meetup with just 25 people in the back room of a London pub &#8211; and an even simpler logo.</p>
<figure id="attachment_23520" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23520" style="width: 570px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-unit-news-featured-large wp-image-23520" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/the-original-2010-ProductTank-logo-570x320.png" alt="the original 2010 ProductTank logo" width="570" height="320" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/the-original-2010-ProductTank-logo-570x320.png 570w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/the-original-2010-ProductTank-logo-300x169.png 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/the-original-2010-ProductTank-logo-768x432.png 768w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/the-original-2010-ProductTank-logo-1024x576.png 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/the-original-2010-ProductTank-logo-285x160.png 285w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/the-original-2010-ProductTank-logo.png 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 570px) 100vw, 570px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-23520" class="wp-caption-text">Our first logo</figcaption></figure>
<p>While we quickly moved on from that oh-so-2010 reflected ProductTank logo, over the last decade we have grown into so much more than that simple meetup too. Today we include multiple global conferences, an incredible training program, and awesome product content &#8211; all underpinned by our amazing community in over 200 chapters around the world.</p>
<figure id="attachment_23521" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23521" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-23521 size-large" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn-evolution-1024x726.jpg" alt="The evolution of our venn logo" width="1024" height="726" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn-evolution-1024x726.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn-evolution-300x213.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn-evolution-768x545.jpg 768w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn-evolution.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-23521" class="wp-caption-text">Our venn originated from a seminal blog post by Martin, defining the role of a product manager &#8211; and while it was a natural basis for our logo it took a few tries before we got it right.</figcaption></figure>
<p>Originally designed by Martin, the Mind the Product and ProductTank brand had three really strong elements;</p>
<ol>
<li>Our signature cyan colour</li>
<li>The typography linking the two brands (created by <a href="http://www.nofont.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Andreas Carlsson</a>)</li>
<li>Our venn logomark</li>
</ol>
<p>These three elements worked well as we grew Mind the Product to the world&#8217;s largest product community.</p>
<p>At our conferences in London, San Francisco, Singapore, Manchester and Hamburg, we used our cyan to let our attendees know they had arrived at the home of product, with cyan banners, t-shirts, coffee cups, cocktails and in some cases, hair.</p>
<figure id="attachment_23523" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23523" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-23523 size-large" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cyan-hair-at-mtpcon-Singapore-2019-1024x683.jpg" alt="cyan hair at mtpcon Singapore 2019" width="1024" height="683" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cyan-hair-at-mtpcon-Singapore-2019-1024x683.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cyan-hair-at-mtpcon-Singapore-2019-300x200.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cyan-hair-at-mtpcon-Singapore-2019-768x512.jpg 768w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cyan-hair-at-mtpcon-Singapore-2019.jpg 2047w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-23523" class="wp-caption-text">Spot the cyan hair</figcaption></figure>
<p>In addition to our live events, we have grown to include training, a job board, a thriving blog, and a membership platform. And we kept creating new versions of the logo to accommodate.</p>
<figure id="attachment_23516" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23516" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-23516" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo-evolution-1024x726.jpg" alt="Several Mind the Product logos" width="1024" height="726" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo-evolution-1024x726.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo-evolution-300x213.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo-evolution-768x545.jpg 768w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/logo-evolution.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-23516" class="wp-caption-text">Each one seemed to make sense at the time&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
<p>But with all this growth we found ourselves needing a visual identity that could flex to accommodate everything we do in a more consistent way. We found that there’s only so many times you can paint something cyan and stick a venn on it, and the more things we needed to put our logo on, the less practical our original approach became. So an update to the brand had long been on the cards, and our 10th anniversary felt like the perfect time to launch a new look and feel for Mind the Product.</p>
<p>Coming in to 2020 our brand team was busy putting the finishing touches to a new brand identity that we’d been working on for months, and getting ready for a big reveal at our San Francisco conference.</p>
<p>We all know what happened next…</p>
<p>Fast forward twelve worrying months, and we’re relieved to say that we’re still here, our digital conferences have been a great success, <a href="https://www.mindtheproduct.com/introducing-mind-the-product-membership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">our pivot to a membership model</a> even more so, and we can now start looking to the future again. We might not be launching our new brand with the glitz and glamour (and cyan hair) of our San Francisco conference, but we are launching it proudly and with thanks to our amazing community.</p>
<h2>Our new logo</h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mindtheproductlogo21-1024x655.jpg" alt="The new Mind the Product logo" width="1024" height="655" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-23538" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mindtheproductlogo21-1024x655.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mindtheproductlogo21-300x192.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mindtheproductlogo21-768x491.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p>We chose to remove the venn from the logo in favour of a simpler logotype using a contemporary geometric typeface. The circular forms in the typeface mirror the circles used throughout the brand and have a feeling of warmth that reflects our brand personality.</p>
<h2>The venn</h2>
<p>The venn is such an important part of our brand but by removing it from the logo we’ve freed it up to become a more flexible graphic device. We’ve explored new interpretations of the venn to allow us the freedom to inject more movement, life, and creativity into our designs.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-23522" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venns-1024x766.jpg" alt="Our new venns" width="1024" height="766" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venns-1024x766.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venns-300x225.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venns-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<h2>New colours</h2>
<p>Cyan is always going to be our thing, it’s a big part of our identity. But over the years we’ve found ourselves needing more colours to help create variety and differentiation in our visual identity. This led to inconsistencies creeping in.</p>
<p>Rather than introduce supporting colours that could dilute our brand, we’ve chosen to double down on the cyan, introducing a palette of shades of cyan.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-23518" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mtp_colours-1024x588.jpg" alt="a new cyan palette" width="1024" height="588" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mtp_colours-1024x588.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mtp_colours-300x172.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mtp_colours-768x441.jpg 768w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mtp_colours.jpg 1206w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p>We wanted to find a way to give each of the sections of our business (training, conferences, blog etc) identities of their own, that had subtle differences whilst still feeling part of the same brand. We wanted the colours we use when talking about our conferences to reflect the dramatic lighting of the conference hall, and the colours we use when talking about our training to reflect the brightness of our training environments.</p>
<p>We came up with a fun system to help us define what these colours should be, that also reflects the three pillars of our business.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn_framework-1024x587.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="587" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-23537" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn_framework-1024x587.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn_framework-300x172.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn_framework-768x440.jpg 768w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/venn_framework.jpg 1207w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p>Everything we offer can be plotted on this Venn, and so we chose to base our colour weightings on where each service sits on this venn.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-23515" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/colour_framework-1024x587.gif" alt="The colour framework" width="1024" height="587" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/colour_framework-1024x587.gif 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/colour_framework-300x172.gif 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/colour_framework-767x440.gif 767w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<h2>Bringing it all together</h2>
<p>Once you bring together all those elements, we can do some really amazing things that still feel like Mind the Product but allow us to create much more dynamic and creative visuals that reflect our vibrant, global community.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-23524" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/posters-1024x644.jpg" alt="New Posters" width="1024" height="644" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/posters-1024x644.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/posters-300x189.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/posters-768x483.jpg 768w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/posters.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-23519" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/T-shirts.jpg" alt="T-shirts" width="8194" height="4686" /></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-23514" src="//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Badges-1024x635.jpg" alt="Badges" width="1024" height="635" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Badges-1024x635.jpg 1024w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Badges-300x186.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Badges-768x477.jpg 768w, /wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Badges.jpg 1684w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p>Want to see more? <a href="https://www.figma.com/proto/oKgSQghqc8Dq8heW1W8stu/MTP-Brand-Guide" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Check out our full design system and brand guidelines</a>.</p>
<h2>Here’s to the next decade</h2>
<p>Our new brand was a real team effort including Megan Sayers, co-founder of <a href="https://www.makegooddesign.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Make Good Design</a>, Annabel Clements of <a href="https://www.windmillcreative.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Windmill Creative</a>, and our internal team with lots of input from across our community and ProductTank network. Because like everything we do &#8211; this new brand identity will live on and evolve through our community — helping us continue to cement our place as the leading community for product people for the decades ahead.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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Martin Eriksson

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