IWT (aka I Will Teach You To Be Rich) is a financial brand built by CEO Ramit Sethi, borne out of his best-selling personal finance book I Will Teach You To Be Rich. The brand was growing, but with both a personal brand and a public brand tied to Sethi’s image, IWT was struggling to differentiate and find a clear footing in the market. We were enlisted to bring the brand much-needed clarity and build its own identity.
IWT
Helping a Personal Finance Brand Find Its Identity
IWT needed to find its brand story, but it was complicated.
We started by unearthing the brand’s DNA.
To bring clarity and consistency to the brand, we dove into the existing IWT brand architecture to parse out the differences between branches, unearth the brand’s essence, and hone in on the right messaging. Through this work, we discovered that IWT’s essence is an expansion of Sethi’s personal brand, promoting a larger vision of self-actualization and optimism. In his role, Sethi functions as the hero of the IWT brand, but the brand itself holds a distinct voice, position, and story pillars.
Clarified positioning let us tap into a refined look and feel.
Because the brand grew out of Sethi’s work, we wanted to tap into his humanity and infuse the IWT visual identity with a sense of groundedness. Essentially, we wanted to avoid anything that felt like a traditional, stiff financial brand. This was achieved through simple touches like an organic color palette, a handwritten wordmark, and clean typography. Knowing social media is a core channel for the brand, we also designed the identity to be user-proof and flexible across channels.
IWT gained a clear vision and a visual identity to guide their growth.
With clarity around their brand architecture and a fresh, distinct visual identity, IWT is now ready to tell a strong story as it grows into new markets and product offerings.
"I can honestly say, you did not lie. The team is fantastic."
Gretchen Leslie
COO, IWT