The Upsun Brand
Scaling a brand through systems, execution, and cross-functional alignment
Brand development, brand systems, templates, cross-functional leadership
Launch graphic created by Kirbie Koonse
Context
Platform.sh evolved into Upsun to reflect a broader, more future-facing platform. As the product expanded beyond its original positioning as a developer-first cloud tool, the existing name and identity no longer reflected the scale, flexibility, or direction of the platform.
Upsun was introduced to represent this shift: a more adaptable platform designed to support complex applications, enterprise needs, and emerging AI-assisted workflows.
The rebrand required balancing continuity with change: preserving the trust of the existing brand while creating a more modern, expressive system that could scale across a growing set of touch points.
This work focused on translating that expanded vision into a clear and cohesive visual identity ensuring the new brand felt both evolved and recognizable.
Upsun logo mark by Lucas Fields with creative direction from Savannah Bergeron
Overview
Role: Senior Brand Designer / Brand Design Lead
Scope: Brand execution, systems, and cross-functional alignment
Focus: Scaling a new brand across marketing, web, and product
Teams: Product Design, Web, Brand Design, Content, and Marketing
Scope: Brand execution, systems, and cross-functional alignment
Focus: Scaling a new brand across marketing, web, and product
Teams: Product Design, Web, Brand Design, Content, and Marketing
Upsun design team
This brand development was the product of a collaborative and talented team of designers who helped elevate and up-level the brand in every way possible. It was truly an honor to create something so bold and fun with this team.
Allison Simmons + Savannah Bergeron + Joanie Gauthier + Kirbie Koonse dj davisson + Emily Li + Abby Milberg + Alejandro Garcia-Abaroa + Nat Harper + Liz Li + Aaron Dudenhofer + Rose Cases Bocci + Louise Boyle
Product Design by Nat Harper, Liz Li, Aaron Dudenhofer, Rose Cases Bocci, Louise Boyle
Animation created by Kirbie Koonse
The challenge
The rebrand extended beyond introducing a new name. It required aligning the brand with a significantly expanded product.
The platform had evolved in both capability and complexity, but the existing brand no longer reflected that growth. At the same time, Platform.sh had built strong recognition and trust, so any change needed to feel intentional, not disruptive.
Beyond the identity itself, the brand needed to scale across a growing set of touch points and teams. In a design-light environment, this meant creating clarity and consistency without slowing teams down.
The challenge was to build a brand that could evolve with the product while remaining usable, scalable, and aligned across the organization. This required not just a new identity, but a system that teams could understand and apply consistently.
Brand in practice | SWAG for the Company Summit, our first since the rebrand.
Approach
The team approached the rebrand by focusing on execution, systems, and cross-functional alignment, ensuring the brand could scale effectively across teams and touch points.
Key contributions
+ Translated brand strategy into visual execution across campaigns, events, and internal materials
+ Built and maintained scalable brand templates and internal documentation to support consistent application for teams
+ Established internal workflows and processes that improved efficiency and reduced friction
+ Partnered with Product and Web teams to align brand execution across the product and customer journey
+ Led an employer brand initiative by launching Beyond the Horizon, a blog series highlighting employee stories to support recruitment, culture, and brand awareness
+ Conducted brand research and audits to understand audience perception and inform brand evolution
+ Built and maintained scalable brand templates and internal documentation to support consistent application for teams
+ Established internal workflows and processes that improved efficiency and reduced friction
+ Partnered with Product and Web teams to align brand execution across the product and customer journey
+ Led an employer brand initiative by launching Beyond the Horizon, a blog series highlighting employee stories to support recruitment, culture, and brand awareness
+ Conducted brand research and audits to understand audience perception and inform brand evolution
Booth design for 2026 events
Sticker designs for 2026
Booth design for SymfonyLive
Employer Brand | Beyond the Horizon series graphics
Outcome
+ Improved consistency across product, campaigns, events, and web experiences
+ Enabled faster execution through scalable templates and systems
+ Increased clarity and confidence in brand application across teams
+ Reduced friction for distributed teams working without dedicated design support
+ Strengthened alignment between brand, product storytelling, and audience needs
+ Enabled faster execution through scalable templates and systems
+ Increased clarity and confidence in brand application across teams
+ Reduced friction for distributed teams working without dedicated design support
+ Strengthened alignment between brand, product storytelling, and audience needs
The result was not just a visual rebrand, but a scalable brand system. One that enabled teams to move faster, communicate more clearly, and support the company’s next phase of growth.
Branded deck template for company-wide use
This work helped shift the brand from a static identity into a living system... one that could evolve alongside the product while remaining clear, consistent, and usable across teams and customers.