Perka (now Clover Rewards) is a loyalty and marketing platform that helps small businesses reward regular customers and attract new ones.
ROLE
As the sole marketing designer of the founding team, I positioned Perka as a leader in the mobile loyalty space, while emphasizing the fun and playful nature of our product.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Art direction and brand design including strategy, identity, and guidelines
Digital design including web, email, blog, and pitch decks
Print design including packaging, direct mail and marketing collateral
Event design including tradeshow booth design and event materials/swag
RESULTS
Achieved consistency and flexibility for a rapidly growing start-up, ensuring a consistent brand experience
Increased merchant enrollment and Perka app downloads from the /start web page
Provided a supportive activation kit to assist new merchants with setting up their Perka loyalty program
BACKGROUND
Initially, I used several slightly modified versions of the Perka logo in my marketing materials, especially in digital environments and on non-white backgrounds. This led to the logo needing an update, which extended into a brand refresh. However, I aimed to define and expand the brand without disrupting existing user associations.
Original branding in place when the company launched in 2011:
APPROACH
Highlighting the “perk” in Perka
To reflect the fun rewards of the product, the brand needed a playful and approachable feel. This was done with bold colors, a simple symbol, and a strong tagline that caught the attention of both merchants and customers, encouraging app downloads.
The Perka Burst
I emphasized the burst motif, which is based on an existing design resembling a punch from a paper punch card.
Icons
Custom icons inspire users to explore available perks. These icons are used throughout the Perka product and have become a key brand identifier, with the library growing as new merchants join.
Patterns + Illustrations
I created a variety of illustrated assets to enhance the playful and welcoming vibe of the brand.
Communicating our personality
In October 2013, Perka was acquired by First Data, a financial services company with six million merchants, making it the largest in the payments industry. To ensure consistency and flexibility as the company grew, I created the Perka Brand Guidelines, outlining our brand story and visual identity. The resulting design language is inviting, recognizable, and versatile across multiple platforms and mediums, allowing every part of our organization to present a consistent brand experience to our customers.
Merchant welcome kit
With the launch of the Perka Beacon, a device that uses Bluetooth to check in Perka users automatically, I created a welcome kit that merchants can use to promote their rewards program. Included is the Perka Beacon and in-store promotional materials such as a double-sided poster and customizable acrylic stand inserts to fit different store designs. A clear call-to-action directs customers to the website's start page. The materials are designed to catch customers' attention while staying true to the brand's design system.
PRESS
Fast Company
In March 2013, Perka was listed in Fast Company's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in the local category.
FINAL THOUGHTS
One of the biggest privileges I had at Perka was the opportunity to work alongside an incredible technology team and together build the brand and the culture of a company we wanted to work for. And I was lucky enough to do it all again with the Clover brand a few years later.