Spring - Working with YunoJuno
Who are Spring?
Spring is an eco-tech company.
We want to change how people think about and consume technology by offering them more sustainable choices while also highlighting the harm that e-waste is doing to the planet. I don’t think we’re aware of the impact that our phones have on the environment. I know I had no idea before joining Spring, but the average smartphone is packed full of rare-earth metals, plastics, gold and silver, and to manufacture it produces roughly 105 million tonnes of CO2 every year. It's also hard to track down exactly where those elements are coming from.
Spring don't think big tech companies are doing enough to tackle this, so they're going to offer easy solutions for people to recycle their tech, while giving them sustainable options to upgrade refurbed and renewed. Keeping tech that doesn't need to go to landfill in circulation, and decreasing the need for brand new tech to be manufactured.
The Brief
Spring had just signed off their name and branding and needed someone to help bring it all to life. Designing the visual style that would communicate who they are in a unique and engaging way across their website and social platforms - whilst also showing off their personality.
| Aspect | Employee | Independent Contractor |
|---|---|---|
| Control and supervision | Direct control over how, when, and where to work | Freedom to set their own schedules and methods |
| Payment | Regular wages; taxes withheld by employer | Paid per project; responsible for their own taxes |
| Benefits | Health insurance, retirment plans, paid leave | Must arrange their own benefits |
| Termination | Often requires notice and may include severance | Can usually be terminated at any time without benefits |
| Tools and equipment | Provided by the employer | Typically use their own tools |
Illustration was primarily what we were looking for, and if they had some animation experience, that was a plus.
The Freelancer
Spring wanted someone who had a unique take and style. Humour was something that was also very important to them.
Who doesn't like a giggle, and as we were discovering who Spring was ourselves, it definitely feels like a jovial person, if Spring was a person.
Once they'd narrowed their search down to 3 illustrators they issued a brief to design two illustrations that could sit on their website landing page. Illustration was primarily what we were looking for, and if they had some animation experience, that was a plus.
We were in fairly close consultation with the talent team along the way who corralled some freelancers into our pen to have a look at. It was a really easy going conversation back and forth while they got to understand what we were looking for and ultimately sent some amazing people our way. It can feel a little daunting, and a bit of a never ending task when you're scrolling through lists of endless possibilities. It's incredibly helpful for someone to go "here, look at these, I know who's out there so don't waste your time scrolling too much because who you need is probably in what I'm showing you". Takes the pressure off somewhat.
Eventually, Spring hired Freelance Illustrator, Valentine Blondel. Everyone in the team gravitated towards his work right away.
I think most of us knew early on that we wanted him on our side. His work is full of joy, nuance, cleverness and simplicity. He's sort of our resident illustrator and designer now. He was integral in helping mold the style, look and feel of Spring.
The Result
It's been incredibly easy working with Val. He's been working with us for about 4 months and it’s always exciting to see his creativity with each new brief. It's become a very easy relationship and a conversation over what we're going to do and what we want to achieve.
Val is still working with spring, designing as they get closer to their launch next month.
YunoJuno have helped us reach our goal. We were exposed to some of the cream of creative talent and all we had to do was find the best fit for Spring.
