The Members Space
A place for Amex’s brand to thrive on social
As creative lead for American Express’ new social media agency of record, we were tasked with not only rethinking their approach to the medium, but also reimagining how their social content looked.
From a visual standpoint, their previous social design looked like their content: corporate, ad-like, and disparate-looking, reflecting their many programs, promotions, and offerings. To reinvent their brand for social, we started by identifying what made their overall branding work, then reflected on the task at-hand: How do we translate Amex’s brand ethos for social? How do we avoid playing keep-up in social’s ever-changing visual landscape? How do reconcile the mercurial nature of social with the structured approach of brand identity?
We found the answers in the brand’s foundational visual asset. Our resulting social design system — called the Members Space — was anchored by the iconic Amex square. Establishing guidelines for how the square could and couldn’t be used on social, we balanced brand heritage with flexibility (both in terms of the endless content demands of social, as well as its always-evolving aesthetic), creating a rhythm for their content. To support the square, we added an expanded, socially-native color palette and a flexible type system, all inspired by Amex’s master brand.
As a basic geometric shape, a square is infinitely adaptive. Designed with this flexibility in mind, the Members Space served as the ideal invitation into the vibrant, varied world of Amex membership on social.
