Elevating leave experience and market perception, together

Known for its highly personal, one-to-one service, Larkin excels in supporting employees through their most challenging moments. However, Larkin's digital presence struggled to adequately reflect the empathetic, personalized service that sets it apart in a competitive market. In 2021, recognizing the need to align its online persona with its distinctive approach, Larkin enlisted Redstamp to refresh its brand.

This strategic rebrand was designed to not only revamp Larkin's digital footprint but also to reinforce its status as a progressive, reliable partner to some of Silicon Valley’s more influential companies. Together, we've reimagined Larkin’s brand identity to highlight its evolution and readiness to meet the future needs of both employees and employers alike.

Using an archetypal branding strategy, we identified Larkin as the “Citizen”, an archetype that champions the belief that every individual matters and is welcomed exactly as they are. By adopting this archetype, Larkin taps into a deep-rooted sense of community and belonging, resonating with an audience that values inclusivity and support. This approach not only aligns Larkin’s services with these core human desires but also positions the brand as a trusted partner that truly understands and cares. The authenticity and equity at the heart of the Citizen archetype allow Larkin to forge stronger, more meaningful relationships, ensuring that each interaction is felt as genuine and personal.

The Citizen archetype also shaped Larkin's brand ladder, serving as the cornerstone of its comprehensive brand strategy. By categorizing Larkin's values, we clarified both the tangible and intangible benefits the company provides, crafting a brand that resonates more deeply on an emotional level but also stands out in a market often missing the warmth and empathy crucial to this type of service experience. Through this structured approach, we've been able to highlight how Larkin meets the expectations of leave and disability management while also exceeding them in ways that honor their humanistic nature, further distinguishing Larkin in a competitive landscape.

This archetypal alignment with customer values and priorities further streamlined internal decision-making and strategy, such as refreshing the Larkin logo. As a family-owned company, Larkin naturally embraces its family name to infuse the personal touch into its brand, and the team initially wanted a simple font improvement to enhance the friendliness of its logo. However, to ensure that Larkin’s presentation to the world is authentic to its identity, we guided them toward a concept centered around kinship.

Emphasizing the “kin” in Larkin, our goal was to instill a sense of warmth and familiarity into the logo, reflecting the family-oriented nature of the company. The resulting logo, named Kinship, embodies the spirit of connection and community that runs through Larkin at every stage. Subtle elements, such as a gentle smile beneath “kin,”  further illustrate the warm and approachable “Citizen” persona that differentiates Larkin from its competitors.

Perfectly aligned with Larkin's refreshed brand identity, each piece of content, from concise one-pagers to in-depth sales decks, reflects Larkin’s fundamental qualities of warmth, empathy,  and authoritative expertise. This seamless integration of visual and verbal messaging has markedly enhanced Larkin's brand appeal, building a strong foundation of trust and credibility with their audience.

Our comprehensive overhaul of Larkin’s content strategy has been instrumental in driving growth. By curating a continuous flow of targeted, captivating content, we've empowered Larkin to deepen existing client relationships, as well as attract and efficiently convert new prospects, streamlining their path to engagement and fostering more rapid, straightforward conversions.

To improve the onboarding process, we designed a more nurturing introduction for new users. This involved integrating engaging videos that greet employees upon their first login. These videos help them understand how Larkin supports their leave process, answering common questions and providing the essential insights they need for taking leave. For continuous support, these resources are readily available in the portal for employees to revisit whenever necessary.

For the to-do list, our goal was to simplify how employees navigate the steps to initiate leave. We first established a clearer hierarchy within the list, differentiating between actionable tasks and essential resources. We then overhauled user flow and revitalized the calls to action to clearly identify tasks as incomplete or complete. By providing clear guidance to employees during crucial and potentially challenging times, we’ve made the leave journey more intuitive and straightforward.