Brief Explanation

NetQin faced several challenges: an unwieldy name that was difficult for non-Chinese speakers, an undifferentiated brand story and an outdated visual system. After recommending NQ Mobile as the new name, we crafted a compelling and authentic brand story, “Securing a more personal mobile world,” that gave the brand a distinctive and human voice in an industry filled with functional messages. A new tagline, “Safeguarding your mobile world,” brought the new brand to life succinctly and consistently across regions. To further dramatize the new brand, we then created a new visual system for the company.

The Brief

In 2010, NetQin, a leading provider of mobile security software, was named one of the “10 Start-Ups That Will Change Your Life” by Time magazine. And yet, despite the accolades and its position as a leading provider of mobile security solutions in China, it had a significant challenge ahead: competition was intensifying domestically, and it also had ambitions to enter other markets and become a true global leader in the industry. In order to do so, it needed to create a compelling brand story and identity that could carry the organization forward.

How the final design was conceived

Using the new brand story as the inspiration for our exploration, we started with the perfect harmonic shape of the circle as the core expression of protection, and evolved it into a ‘speech bubble’ to evoke the idea of communication. The new visual system, now a distinct purple color to set the brand apart from the competition, is highly flexible and allows for various color treatments to represent different product and service lines. The result is a visual identity that is highly personal, vibrant and contemporary – a breath of fresh air in a sea of sameness within the category.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The new NQ Mobile brand was officially launched to much acclaim at CES International in January 2012, a high-profile consumer technology event with NQ Mobile’s creative director crediting much of the new brand’s success to the strength of the visual story, calling it “a great foundation for the brand in the future.” The company now has a modern, global brand that will help the brand confidently enter international markets with a powerful story and an engaging identity.