NRG Brand Guidelines
As Creative Director, I led the development of the NRG Brand Guide, ensuring a cohesive and unified brand identity across all touchpoints. My role involved collaborating with cross-functional teams to define visual and messaging standards, establish design principles, and ensure consistency in NRG's visual language. I worked closely with stakeholders to align the brand’s core values with its design elements, providing a strategic framework that strengthened NRG's market presence and supported its long-term growth and recognition.
Overview: A comprehensive brand overhaul for NRG to unify tone, visuals, and voice across platforms.
Role: Led brand strategy and creative system development.
Challenge: Modernize an aging identity and create a scalable system across business units.
Solution: Developed a bold, energetic design language rooted in accessibility and innovation.
Outcome: Successfully rolled out across digital, print, and internal channels; adopted company-wide.
Role: Led brand strategy and creative system development.
Challenge: Modernize an aging identity and create a scalable system across business units.
Solution: Developed a bold, energetic design language rooted in accessibility and innovation.
Outcome: Successfully rolled out across digital, print, and internal channels; adopted company-wide.
A unified approach
We want to create a consistent brand that reflects our leadership position in the industry, our customer-centricity, and our commitment to a net zero future. We strive for a clear, accessible, and unified look and voice. Visual assets should speak to who we are. Consistent icons, vibrant photography, and a uniform color palette reinforce our visual identity. These elements are used in ways that uniquely say “NRG.” However, a brand look isn’t static. As NRG focuses more on consumer services, our brand must reflect the evolution of our business.
Telling a strong brand story depends on executional details, like clean design and compelling style.
The NRG Logo
Our distinctive pluses show forward movement and connection to partnership.
The Block Plus
Think of the Block Plus as our flexible graphic element. It’s built using the pluses in our brand mark to express the balance of our business. It represents our retail and commercial energy projects and our generation portfolio. These two elements help tie our visual pieces together.
The Block Plus can be used as a device to help layout composition. It can sit between image and white space or two images
The NRG Color System
A consistent color palette builds visual brand equity across our business. Our primary and secondary colors work together to establish our brand identity, show our range of services, and represent the diversity of our people. Additionally, these colors help create captivating digital communications and identify us as much as our messages do.
The NRG palette is born from our core identity―using the recognizable NRG Blue as the foundation. The use of blue reflects our values of trust, reliability, and responsibility. The NRG Green represents our dedication to renewable energy and our passion for a more sustainable future. A set of neutrals are available to use along with our primary colors, where necessary.
Primary Colors
Typography
With clean lines and character shapes, Effra is our primary typeface. This flexible sans-serif font should be used in all creative materials for external audiences..
Typography for internal creative
Verdana supports Effra for all information graphic applications when Effra is not available for use. Verdana is a sans-serif font that offers a clear, straightforward type approach with versatile application. It should be used for all internal use cases, including documents, presentations, and stationary.
Iconography
Making the complex simple and providing solutions is a big part of who we are and what we do. Iconography should be simple, graphic elements that capture the big concepts and relevant benefits of our products and services.
Our Use of Photography
Our visual design library includes a wide range of elements. As we expand our services, our photography should speak to the different facets of our customers’ lives. Energy as a product is invisible. However, its presence in powering people’s lives and moving businesses forward is real. Thus, photography plays a vital role in communicating our brand, its impact, and our consumer services.
Application
How do we put brand theory into practice?
Our brand becomes real when we combine writing and design consistently across our communications channels. Here’s how we deliver a brand that truly connects with our customers.
Our brand becomes real when we combine writing and design consistently across our communications channels. Here’s how we deliver a brand that truly connects with our customers.
Website
Our website establishes our presence in the digital world and strengthens our business’ legitimacy. Visitors go to NRG.com to learn about our company, our people, and the products and services we offer. To maintain brand integrity across the NRG website.
1. Imagery
Simple, clean photography
2. Subheadings
Short, actionable copy segments lead to deeper exploration
3. Language
Focused copy presents solutions in plain language, not technical jargon
4. Icons
Highlight benefit statements that summarize key messages
5. Links
All URLs should be lowercase.
1. Imagery
Simple, clean photography
2. Subheadings
Short, actionable copy segments lead to deeper exploration
3. Language
Focused copy presents solutions in plain language, not technical jargon
4. Icons
Highlight benefit statements that summarize key messages
5. Links
All URLs should be lowercase.
Blogs
To keep NRG blogs consistent and informative.
1. Byline
Reinforces more personal authorship
2. Hero image
Prominent image placement creates immediate visual impact
3. Tone
NRG positioned as an informed and helpful guide
4. Subheadings
Bold font sections enhance readability
5. Related topics
Suggesting related topics promotes ongoing engagement.
1. Byline
Reinforces more personal authorship
2. Hero image
Prominent image placement creates immediate visual impact
3. Tone
NRG positioned as an informed and helpful guide
4. Subheadings
Bold font sections enhance readability
5. Related topics
Suggesting related topics promotes ongoing engagement.
Social Media
To maintain consistency across all social channels,
1. An approachable tone
Use clear and relatable language. We connect with audiences by simplifying complex topics and never speaking down to them.
2. An interesting hook
The hook needs to entice people to stop scrolling and pay attention to our post.
3. Limited characters
Respecting character limits avoids truncated copy on mobile.
4. Customized imagery
Adding custom elements to stock images, our own iconography, and infographics resonates better with social media users
5. Relevant data points
Including stats can reinforce the point and make social posts more impactful.
1. An approachable tone
Use clear and relatable language. We connect with audiences by simplifying complex topics and never speaking down to them.
2. An interesting hook
The hook needs to entice people to stop scrolling and pay attention to our post.
3. Limited characters
Respecting character limits avoids truncated copy on mobile.
4. Customized imagery
Adding custom elements to stock images, our own iconography, and infographics resonates better with social media users
5. Relevant data points
Including stats can reinforce the point and make social posts more impactful.
Collateral
Marketing collateral is a collection of tools that promote NRG products and services. The materials we create should consider our target audience, reinforce our brand messaging, and support customers in their energy journey.
Sales Sheets
Sales sheets define the individual products within our suite of energy solutions. These resources clearly outline what we offer and explain how we can meet our customers’ energy needs.
1. Clear title
Utilize Block Plus and clearly name the product or solution.
2. “What” and “How”
Define what the product is and explain how it works.
3. Customer benefits
Highlight customer benefits with icons and callout boxes.
1. Clear title
Utilize Block Plus and clearly name the product or solution.
2. “What” and “How”
Define what the product is and explain how it works.
3. Customer benefits
Highlight customer benefits with icons and callout boxes.
Who We Are
At NRG, we’re redefining power by putting customers at the center of everything we do.
We deliver customized energy solutions and strive for a more sustainable energy future. Our brand should align with our promises and convey the breadth and evolution of our business.
We deliver customized energy solutions and strive for a more sustainable energy future. Our brand should align with our promises and convey the breadth and evolution of our business.
The NRG Brand
A strong brand builds trust and sets expectations. It opens the door to a conversation that can lead to a long-term relationship with customers.
