Web Design Background

Skyscape IT

Client

Skyscape IT

Location

Birmingham, UK

Services

Branding

Web Design


WordPress

Design System

Information Architecture

Illustration

User Journey Mapping

Enabling a Managed IT Service Provider to Scale as a Business with New Brand Positioning

Skyscape IT is a managed IT services provider for small businesses in the UK.

Skyscape IT came to KIJO with a clear brief. This was to create a new online presence for them; a fresh brand and website to enable them to grow into the market of larger businesses with 20+ employees. They wanted to shift the brand’s reputation and improve their key messaging which would appeal to large companies too. They also wanted to integrate a booking system, enabling their clients to book consultations with them directly through their website.

What Skyscape IT wanted to avoid though was the often seen cliches of IT support brands – no images of circuit boards or people sitting at laptops, frustrated with their equipment. They wanted their brand to be assured and distinctive, yet approachable and friendly.

95+

Google Lighthouse Score 95+

60%

Users felt the business was an “established organisation”

AAA

Accessibility colour contrast score

Establishing a New Brand Identity to Competitively Reposition The Business

Before we could build a website, we needed to establish a fresh brand identity and make decisions regarding elements like the colours, the tone and the typography. Originally, Skyscape IT was called “My IT Guy” but in order to attract larger businesses, the client wanted to move away from the one-man-band association the original name was portraying. It simply wasn’t allowing for the desired company growth. After presenting a list of potential new names, we settled on Skyscape IT as this evoked a sense of calm. The word “sky” is renowned for its connotations of freedom, clarity and transcendence. “Scape” connotes escapism and openness which complemented the leading “sky”. These connotations were important to the client, as many of their clientele are frustrated with their existing IT systems when they first make contact. A sense of being calm, clear and collected is ultimately what they come to the business looking for.

With a new name in place, we could begin experimenting with different colour combinations. My IT Guy had a very uninspired colour palette; blues and whites that resembled large corporate IT providers. It was basic and underwhelming. Unfortunately, this palette was also shared by many competitors meaning they were being lost in the crowd. So, we opted for more innovative ones in order to step away from these cliches and ultimately help it stand out.

We landed on a palette of deep green, turquoise and a lemony yellow which, unexpectedly, complemented one another excellently. The palette’s greens and blues feel distinctive, and the pops of yellow hone in on that friendly, approachable feel the client was looking for.

We then tested the colour’s accessibility. This is an important consideration for any website. We used accessibility tools to assess the contrast of the colours and this combination scored AAA for large and small text; this is ideal. We decided we would only use the accent colours of turquoise and yellow on the green background in order to meet these accessibility standards. If anything appeared on white, we would use the darker green.

Brand Imagery

For imagery, again in order to side-step cliches like that of a person despairing over a non-functioning laptop, we wanted to avoid being too literal and pain-point focused. So, we presented distinctive, abstract imagery. Firstly, we considered abstract, wavy patterns but this resulted in feeling quite corporate and impersonal. After some more experimenting, we landed on playful, 3D imagery which felt more friendly and digestible whilst maintaining Skyscape IT’s rooted professionalism. It was a good balance and this resonated well with the client.

Then, we created a sleek logomark that avoided feeling too corporate as well, but was connected to the new brand and its new name. The logo is now a cloud with the letter ‘S’ for Skyscape IT woven into it. Getting the logo right was imperative for building and establishing brand consistency across the website in order to gain and maintain user trust and awareness.

Our presentation of the branding concepts made it really easy for the client to visualise. We showcased the typography, colours, graphics and the logomark with examples of them in situ. Our mood boards were detailed, thoughtful and thorough and included examples showcasing the concept application of the brand. This allowed for the client to buy into our ideas with ease, and put us all on the same page. This clarity enabled an even sleeker collaboration process moving forward.

Mastering the Messaging

In terms of the site’s messaging, in addition to renaming the brand, we removed any references of ‘I’ and positioned the copy from the perspective of an organisation: “we” and “our”. This maintained that personal feel, but also helped the company feel larger, and thus would attract larger clientele.

We then devised a new value proposition: “Hi, we’re Skyscape IT. We offer dedicated, reliable and secure IT support for small businesses.” This key message clearly communicated exactly who and what the company was and did in a friendly, yet professional way.

We also wanted to make sure that any technical wording was minimal in order to exude the approachability of the company. So, we simplified the language on the site’s core pages and made it direct, but friendly, in tone. However, for users that have a higher technical understanding, we introduced a technical resource hub. This would not only serve as a point of interest for those users, but also to illuminate the depth of understanding and expertise Skyscape IT possesses.

An Integrated Booking System & Prominent CTAs

Skyscape IT wanted to enable their clients to book consultations with them directly through their website. Calendly is a modern scheduling platform that integrates seamlessly and reliably with WordPress websites. It’s easy to use and the team at KIJO trusts it so much, we used it on our own website! Because of our experience working with this dependable software, we opted to use Calendly as the booking system for Skyscape IT.

We also made the primary call to action on the website “Book a Call”; this was the main conversion that Skyscape IT wanted to target. This CTA was prominently and strategically placed throughout the website; in the top right corner of every landing page, throughout the navigation, and largely in a section just above the footer of each page too. This repetition helps remind a user to book throughout their user journey, and allows them to easily access the booking link whenever their interest is peaked throughout the site. Additionally, the prominence of each CTA and its continuous presences draws the users eye too, thus encouraging them to click.

The Results

Skyscape IT’s goals for their new online presence was clear; a new brand that enables the business to scale up, improve the key messaging and integrate a booking system.

The client was thrilled with their new website which is always a strong indicator that we’ve achieved the goals the project set. Robin Whiting, Director of Skyscape IT said: “Excellent work as always. Fantastic!”

In order to prove that the brand’s new identity was clear, we conducted a user test. We asked a randomised non-bias test group, “Would you say this website gives the impression of an established organisation who can help you with your IT needs?” Of the test group, 60% of participants said “yes”. They felt like the website represented an established organisation upon viewing the homepage as opposed to its original positioning as a small, sole trader.

In addition, when we checked the site against Google Lighthouse – an automated tool which indicates the quality of a website’s pages – the Skyscape IT website is now scoring 95+ across the board, meaning the site is working optimally and well for all of its users too

Working with KIJO was a genuine joy from start to finish. Every meeting presented new and exciting ideas, copy, advice and designs. I’d look forward to seeing what they’d come up each time, and progress was rapid and positive.Each team member excelled and together they’ve provided us a solid brand and website to allow the company to grow. I’m very proud of the way our company is presented to the world now, and I have KIJO to thank for that.Their work is already paying for itself. It’s such a thrill to see my website on the first page of Google’s search results!

Robin Whiting

Director

University of Warwick