Sonder celebrates the rich complexity of humanity with its multifaceted, modular rebrand by OHMY

What makes truly engaging, fascinating research? According to Sonder, it’s all about the people. Dedicated to the art of great research, the collective of researchers, strategists and analysts (formerly known as Consumer Insight), transform complex data into meaningful insights.

Its new identity – created in collaboration with design and technology studio OHMY – puts its human-centred approach and progressive vision at the forefront of all its brand elements. This is neatly encapsulated in the new name itself, Sonder, a word that describes the realisation that every person has a life as rich and complex as your own. To match its refined vision, OHMY delivered a fresh identity, tone of voice, name, website and assets interwoven with the company’s values and story.

Sonder’s new name is firmly established, thanks to the new wordmark, set in Aro from General Type Studio. “We chose it for its sense of authority, providing a strong foundation for this people-first business,” says Joe Burke, Co-founder & Creative Director of OHMY. Whether displayed as the full wordmark, or as the ‘S’ brand mark, he describes it as a “grounding element amidst the vibrant design, something the staff can rally behind like a flag.”

To complement the heavyweight nature of Aro, Helvetica Neue serves as the primary typeface, supported by the bookish Courier New. “This combination works perfectly within our client’s main output medium – PowerPoint,” Burke tells us. “Helvetica Neue offers clean readability, while Courier New adds a classic typewriter feel, reminding readers of the human touch behind the work. This approach allows the company to maintain brand consistency using system fonts, without the need for fallback options.”

Sonder centres its practice around three pillars, which OHMY responded to with a modular approach – represented with three distinct design choices. The first is, understandably, ‘Human-centric.’ “Our ‘Tapestries’ illustration system uses photographs, moments, ephemera, and memories to create collages representing our shared humanity.”

The second, ‘Tidy’ – reflecting Sonder’s meticulous approach to detail – is packaged neatly in a grid system. “This structure allows for dynamic compositions while maintaining simplicity in application, reflecting Sonder’s methodical approach to research,” notes Burke. Restless, the final pillar, is all about curiosity and movement. Hand-drawn elements – gestural, expressive scribbles and words – defy the order of the grid system, overlapping and breaking out of its confines.

Unifying these elements is a warm and bold colour palette, which Burke likens to the diverse and vibrant nature of the people that make up Sonder. At the same time, Burke explains that the colour direction is rooted in practicality, “Whilst the brand can be quite vibrant in external communications, we also considered the practical needs of Sonder’s day-to-day work. The company primarily operates through PowerPoint presentations, so we developed a palette with enough variety to tell engaging stories through data visualisation. This approach ensures that charts and diagrams in their presentations remain visually distinct and interesting, helping to maintain audience engagement throughout detailed research presentations.”

Throughout the website and identity, viewers can spot little figures (painted by OHMY designer Cheri Ellis), which serve as a reminder that humans (their lives, stories, and wonderfully idiosyncratic experiences) drive everything that Sonder does. “These figures embody the core of ‘Sonder’ – the realisation that each passerby has a life as complex as our own,” Burke concludes.