Ciena is a global supplier of telecommunications networking equipment, software and services. Their brand expression was defined by a disparity of colors, inconsistent photography styles and advertising campaigns. At a fundamental level, Ciena’s brand lacked a unifying idea that would give them a modern and cohesive design system.
Ciena’s leadership team approached our studio to create a system that was distinctive, beautiful and easy to implement. Over the course of 18 months, we modernized and elevated the Ciena brand with an entirely new design system, global templates, cloud-based design components and open source image libraries, saving Ciena time and financial resources.
What if ease of use, clear hierarchy, motion and modularity was the basis for a design system? We answered this question with a unifying design narrative that serves as a creative platform for all of Ciena’s touch points. The Mosaic design theme is an artistic expression present in every culture. It’s both an aesthetic way to organize communications and a metaphor for how communities are organized.
The networking category is dominated by variations of blue. Ciena has used red in the past, and we revived this in an energetic and accessible palette that immediately cuts through the noise of the marketplace.
Ciena brings people together, and this humanity comes to life in many ways in the Mosaic system. From delightful micro interactions to revitalized employee branding and refreshing executive portraits, the new Ciena brand is thoroughly professional and approachable.
Creative direction and overall strategy: Joe and Leslie Stitzlein
Creative team: Fredrik Averin, Sérgio Fonseca, Myrna Newcomb, Cindy Ondrick, Debbie Poon, Jose Manual Vega, Bran Dougherty-Johnson, Steven Bracki, Alyssa Gonzalez Torres, Haruka Hochin and Hyemin Kang
Project managers: Asya Palatova, Jon Schleuning, Ashley Strang
Brand strategist: Lisel Welden
Executive portrait photography: Peter Yang
