February 28, 2023

On the heels of COVID-19, with whisperings of an upcoming recession and inflation rates soaring, I found myself pondering the idea of a rebrand. With the real estate market beginning to cool off and having studio hours to spare, now would be the perfect time, however, the sheer thought of taking the risk to replace something that had been working just fine was enough to talk myself out of it.

But two years after WCI Media Studios acquired Rally Creative – becoming WCI Rally Collaborative – we needed a fresh, unified identity to help illuminate our path forward. Some of our processes and workflows still operated in silos, and while our modern-day Brady Bunch was getting along, there was a glaring opportunity to bring everyone closer into the fold.

So began the creation of MANTIS. A team effort from its inception – the name, the logo, and every other creative asset in between was the result of thoughtful collaboration and self-discovery – allowing the individual strengths of our team members to shine. Although I’d love to tell you this process was smooth and quick, I’d be greatly oversimplifying the challenging process of developing a new identity that is an authentic reflection of who we are as a Studio, while still considering the opinions of a diverse list of both current and future clients. 

Handing the reins over to our team, Tanner and I took a step back and allowed our talented creators to drive. We were the clients now, which enabled us to assess the experiential aspect of our business, refining our processes to provide an exceptional client experience. Not surprisingly, allowing the team the freedom to illustrate their vision for the studio was inspiring and exciting, but we found that some early iterations of the brand were still playing it safe.

It’s easy to take a cautious approach to brand development when it feels like there is so much at stake, but letting go of what we thought people might think about the new brand was the first step. It was when our team let go of fears surrounding perception that the brand really came to life. When one of the designers said he had waited 19 years to work on a project like this, I knew we had something special.

While I could come up with countless reasons why postponing a rebrand is perfectly acceptable, I only needed one to convince myself otherwise. Rebranding your company is not only an opportunity to refresh your identity in the marketplace; greater than that, it’s an opportunity to excite and inspire your team, and encourage them to become active participants in shaping your organizations’ culture and future.

So… Say hello to MANTIS. If you’ve been cautiously considering a rebrand of your own, we might just be the perfect partner to support you in the process and execute your next great vision.

Jeremy Noftle
President, MANTIS Creative