Sygna

What we did:

A new name 

A name. One word that can be pronounced on every continent, that has some meaning but not too much, that is familiar but not too common, and that we can acquire a sensible URL for. Easy, right?  

On complex building projects for high-functioning spaces like data centres and banking facilities, it’s absolutely crucial that the right questions are asked and the right information is shared. Commissioning managers make sure that the main contractor is delivering a sound development and that all aspects of a project fit together and function properly.  

So, we explored the concept of a building project as a living organism: the client and design team are the brain, outlining what is required, and the contractor and delivery team are the body. In this picture, the commissioning management company is the nervous system, passing the right messages from the brain to the right part of the body so that the build goes to plan. 

After our initial front-running name didn’t pass muster (legal checks led us to a dead end), we doubled down our efforts and stretched our creative muscles for a second time. 

We landed on the name Sygna, a variation on the word signal, which reflects commissioning managers’ role as signal carriers, or synapses. They loved it. It works well internationally, the domain was available... and it ticked that all-important legal box. 

A whole new brand 

With Sygna receiving the thumbs up, we cracked on with revisiting and refining the company’s values to make sure they still aligned with where this newly-formed company wanted to head. Importantly, the work we’d done back in 2020 and early 2021 stood the test of time – those core statements – the vision, mission and values – changed very little. 

Alongside this, we devised a strapline: “high functioning spaces delivered simply” – which crystallised and reflected the company’s values, and all that makes Sygna, Sygna.  

Then it came to the visual side of the brand. 

We proposed a colour scheme of blue (evokes communication, trust and efficiency) and orange (for optimism, confidence and creativity). 

And the new Sygna logo features an inverted y, looking forward rather than backwards, which forms a partnership with the g, just as Sygna forms partnerships with its clients.  

A new website 

With this all agreed, the last phase of the project was to design and build a brand new website.  

At every touch point with a company, your clients need to get a clear understanding of who you are and what you stand for – and it’s particularly critical when a new name and brand is involved. And as your main piece of marketing collateral, this is especially important for your website.  

That’s why we weaved Sygna’s company values into every page of web copy, ensuring the crystallised message we’d crafted was communicated clearly and efficiently. 

Client:

Project objectives:

• To revisit and refresh the core elements of their brand: mission, vision and values

• To re-engage their employees with the brand and enhance loyalty and satisfaction

• To build a new brand that would work globally

• To create a new name that combined both Commtech Asia and Logi-tek (UK)

• To design and develop a new website

Our services:

• Strategy and planning 

• Benchmarking research

• Branding 

• Website 

• User experience 

• Copywriting 

Early stages: digging under the surface

In a previous life, Sygna operated as Commtech Asia and Logi-tek UK across two continents.  

We began with an in-depth exercise with all of their staff (c100), getting under the skin of their current stated values and core messages, and testing that against the values and beliefs of their colleagues. There was an online survey, yes, but also webinars and working groups across their offices in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, mainland China and Vietnam. 

We took that information and tested it again, asking the same questions of a selection of their clients and collaborators. We received some really useful feedback from people on every continent, and of course some surprising insights into Commtech Asia’s place in the market. 

Our team took a good look at their competitors – large and small – to ascertain where Commtech Asia sat in a global context, and who their clients are working with in other parts of the world. 

We mixed this with the ambitions of the leadership team to create a strong brand proposition based on the “sage” archetype.  

All of this research and benchmarking work enabled us to work with the leadership team to create fresh vision, mission and values statements, which informed a new business plan and strategy.  

In December 2021, holding company Cathexis acquired Logi-tek (UK) to take them into Europe and EMEA. This was the first step in an ambitious growth plan. And the acquisition, together with the benchmarking work, made it clear that the “Commtech” brand wasn’t strong enough for those ambitions. 

Our next task: a new name, a whole new brand that works globally, and a new website. ASAP.