GoDaddy Rebrand

Empowering entrepreneurs everywhere

GOAL
Redesign GoDaddy’s global brand to reflect its evolution as a global trusted digital partner for over 21 million entrepreneurs

ROLE
Senior Brand Art Director
Created with the GoDaddy Brand Team

AWARD
Indigo, Gold In Branding, 2020

YEARS
2020-2022

GoDaddy started selling domains over twenty five years ago to help anyone establish an online presence. Since then, the internet has fundamentally changed entrepreneurship by creating a new model for people to start, grow, and manage their businesses. GoDaddy has evolved, too, from service provider to trusted partner, giving entrepreneurs all the help and tools they need to thrive online.

As the core brand team’s senior art director, I played a key role in the creation of an entirely new global design system that reflects the brand’s evolution, captures its future vision, and guides creative work across the company. We examined every class of brand component to ensure it fulfilled the promise of our brand strategy while serving millions of everyday entrepreneurs who trust us with their online success.

The new mark

The GO is a clear statement of advocacy for entrepreneurs everywhere—a symbol of empowerment that encourages them to stand on their own two feet. It was created as a visual representation of the space where three ideas meet: entrepreneurial spirit, joy, and humanity.

The deal with teal

GoDaddy Teal was created to shift the company’s primary brand color to one that serves as a beacon for everyday entrepreneurs. We chose this vibrant hue of teal to represent growth, provide a distinctive contrast against black and white, and give us instant recognition in the marketplace.

Typeface

GoDaddy needed a new typeface family that elevated and reframed our conversations with small business owners. Enter GD Sage, a sharp and refined editorial-style serif headline typeface that commands attention. To bring GD Sage about, I managed relationships with our typeface foundry and key stakeholders to ensure it met our brand objectives for a distinctive headline typeface. Alongside GD Sherpa, a crisp, sans typeface, GD Sage speaks to everyday entrepreneurs and helps us talk on a higher level than our competition.

Primary brand photography

Our new brand puts small business owners—those folks with the will to live under their own initiative—at its core. We needed a new photography philosophy that put these bold individuals front and center, so we decided to showcase entrepreneurs in their element. Across industries and geographies, we capture authentic people exhibiting the resolve, confidence, and drive that propels their venture and shows others it’s possible to make your own way.

Sub-brand photography

Several sub-brands live under GoDaddy’s primary brand. One of the most important belongs to the Care and Services team. Their team members, GoDaddy Guides, work directly with customers to dispense sage advice on first steps and next steps.

Largely ignored under the previous brand, the new brand brings Guides to the forefront. Our photography team worked with Care and Services to create a custom lighting and expression playbook. Then, over a two-day shoot, we brought 16 Guides into the studio to create 50+ brand images that give unique life to this sub-brand—while retaining the spirit of the global brand—that are seen across GoDaddy creative channels.

Illustration

A core component of the new brand, our hand-drawn illustrations simplify abstract ideas, interpret digital products, and tell stories. The line quality lends a feeling of approachability to these illustrations.

Style Guide

The GoDaddy Brand Style Guide is the source of truth for our global brand. It answers common creative questions and includes how-to-build best practices that illuminate how our brand components fit together seamlessly.

I’ve been entrusted to create and manage this living document during my entire GoDaddy tenure, working with teams across the company to continually refine our brand best practices and update it quarterly to capture the brand’s growth and evolution.