Bringing a Rebrand to Life: Varonis

Varonis, a leader in B2B tech and data security, knew they needed a change. That decision was easy. The hard part? Finding clarity on exactly how their brand should evolve. Since their founding in 2005, the landscape has been muddied with new competitors everyday. And although Varonis is known globally in the data security space for their game-changing software and expertise, they had a perception problem among their audience. 

‍

Enter redpepper. We joined forces with Varonis to tackle the challenge of defining and solving their problems head-on.

‍

Discovery

‍

The first step was a deep dive into Varonis' strengths and weaknesses—but with a new evaluation lens. They needed a more clear audience perspective, so we dug into some customer insights. 

• What did their customers and prospects really think about Varonis? 
• What was being said about them when they’re not in the room? 
• Were they seen as cutting-edge or stuck in the past? 

This audience-centric approach to thinking about the band provided invaluable information that we wove into the base of our strategy.

‍

Just as important—the analysis of the broader landscape: 

• What trends were shaping the industry? 
• What changes were happening in the world around them? 

By understanding the cultural context surrounding Varonis, we could better position the brand for success in a market that never stops changing.

‍

Ideation

‍

With the challenges more clearly defined, it was time to brainstorm solutions. We explored ways for Varonis to differentiate itself, shed their legacy image, and showcase their product evolution from on-premises installs to SaaS solutions. The goal was to create enough change in their brand to get the audience to lean in and learn more. The ideas that were sparked during our brainstorming sessions fueled the strategy that would shape the brand's new direction.

‍

This process of challenge-defining and solution-tinkering was a melding of marketing minds on both the Varonis and redpepper teams. After lots of collaboration, we ended with a solid brief where objectives, aspirations, and brand standards were succinctly expressed and agreed upon by all involved.
‍

‍

“This project highlighted the profound impact of collaboration with partners who both cared about the brand and could also push it with fresh perspectives. Knowing our big goals as well as how our team operates helped keep the effort from stalling out and the smaller, more focused conversations were invaluable in breaking through some internal brand barriers and attachment to legacy elements.”

- Courtney Bernard, Brand & Creative Director at Varonis

‍

Solutions

‍

The winning solution? A brand character we called Protector 22814—the embodiment of Varonis' revamped identity. This cyber-defender personified the brand's commitment to speed, agility, and data protection. But Protector 22814 wasn't just a character, they were the keystone of Varonis' entire rebranding effort—serving as a visual anchor for the brand's desired persona.

‍

‍

‍

‍

But we didn’t stop there. Varonis needed a visual identity reboot to match. 

‍

In a highly collaborative effort, the brand evolved into something that was all new but still felt familiar. Out went the dark blues, reds, and whites of the original brand and in came a sleek palette of electric blues and cyber greens. This fresh color scheme, inspired by futuristic sci-fi aesthetics, gave Varonis a modern edge that set them apart from the competition while still feeling at home in the cyber landscape.

‍

Typography, graphic elements, motion design—every aspect of Varonis' visual identity was carefully considered and refined in collaboration with their talented internal creative team to create a cohesive brand experience. 

‍

‍

"Building the Varonis ‘Protector 22814’ in collaboration with the redpepper and Varonis teams was a highlight of our year. While the vision set forth a clear goal, there was plenty of room for our team to collaborate. But, we needed to move fast. To do so we developed an AI assisted system to create and review each aspect of the character until we had a creation that not only personified the new brand, but that was something we were all proud to have built together."

- Cody Garrow, Founder/ Creative Director at Knitted City

‍

Launch

‍

Once the rounds of design experimentation and iteration were done, the big reveal finally arrived at Varonis' Sales Kick-Off event in New York. Over 1,000 sales representatives and stakeholders gathered for the unveiling of the brand's new look—and the excitement was palpable.

‍

‍

The results? Sales representatives were buzzing and eager to share the new brand with clients, while internal stakeholders applauded the team's vision and creativity. This work had created the momentum Varonis needed to help shed its legacy image and emerge as a forward-thinking leader in the data security space. And all of this was made possible by strategic collaboration and developing a strong sense of trust between our client and agency teams that we can carry forward into any future projects. Mission accomplished.

‍