How We Helped a Recruiting Agency Become a Culture Company.
- Deevo Tindall
- Nov 8
- 3 min read
(A Human First Co. transformation story)
Case Study | Human First Co.
The Context
Amy Stephenson built a successful recruiting agency that connected companies with talent. Over time, 15 years in fact, she began to see a deeper need in her industry. The real problem wasn’t hiring per se, it was the culture. Leaders were asking for better people when what they needed was a healthier system. Like any great leader, Amy sought ways to evolve her company into something that addressed the human side of business.
That seeking led her to the Brand Storyteller, to help define that next chapter. She wanted clarity, language, and structure that reflected her evolved purpose and positioned her as a thought leader in culture transformation.
The Challenge
The brand she had worked so tirelessly to build, no longer represented her vision for the future. It was [too] transactional, Amy wanted transformational. The business operated efficiently but it lacked emotional coherence. Her messaging and systems were out of sync with her philosophy, and her visual identity didn’t reflect the sophistication or warmth of her work.
Amy needed a brand that expressed who she wanted to become and could hold the business she was growing into.
The Work
We began the engagement with in-depth discovery sessions that unpacked her story, values, and [current] process. Amy’s strength is turning workplaces into living systems built on trust, clarity, and communication. From that foundation, we set out to build the brand around one central belief: business is a human system.
The work included:
Building a new brand architecture with defined vision, mission, and values.
Developing an offer suite that structures her work into scalable programs:
Creating brand messaging that balances strategy with empathy and positions her as a leader in culture design.
Designing a modern, grounded visual identity system to convey calm intelligence.
Creating a 90-day activation roadmap for her website, social presence, and client experience.
Every element was built to reflect her philosophy and move in harmony, from tone of voice to touchpoints and leadership rhythm.
The Transformation
Through this work, Human First Co. will emerge as a culture company that helps leaders build organizations where people thrive and growth sustains.
The brand now reflects Amy’s depth, expertise, and energy.
The business has clarity in language, consistency in communication, and a strategic structure that supports both impact and scale.
Her website, content, and offers will soon align under a unified story.
Human First Co. will be recognized as a credible voice in human-centered leadership, attracting aligned clients and speaking opportunities that amplify the mission.
Created a framework and a brand for leading this next phase.
Amy will now run her [new] business with rhythm, confidence, and direction.
The Visual Suite
The visual direction for Human First Co. was built to feel intelligent, warm, and human. The goal was to create a brand that looks like what it stands for, clarity, connection, and calm confidence.
We moved away from the aesthetics of a traditional recruiting firm and built a visual identity that reflects emotional intelligence and cultural depth. The design language balances structure and softness, allowing the brand to feel credible without losing its warmth.
The color palette grounds the brand in calm energy. Warm neutrals like sand, cream, and taupe establish stability and approachability. Deep sage and muted teal convey intelligence and trust. Charcoal adds sophistication, while soft coral and amber introduce optimism and vitality.
Typography reinforces the same balance. A modern sans serif holds the system together with precision, while a complementary serif adds warmth and humanity. The layout design uses space intentionally, breathing room that mirrors the company’s philosophy of rhythm over rush.
Every element of the redesign was created to translate emotion into structure. The result is a brand that feels human in tone, timeless in design, and unmistakable in presence. It doesn’t just look aligned; it moves that way.
The Reflection
Brand work is often misunderstood as solely design and aesthetic, and while those play a crucial role, great branding should also reflect how a business thinks, feels, and communicates.
The most important result of this project was coherence. The brand, the leader, and the work now move together.
That’s what Human First Co. represents, a company that remembers what it’s made of.
About The Brand Storyteller
The Brand Storyteller helps leaders build brands that feel human, not manufactured. The work starts with identity and ends with rhythm, where clarity turns into movement and the message matches the experience.
Founded by Deevo, the practice blends psychology, strategy, and storytelling to build brands that reflect the truth of the people behind them.
Our goal is simple: Create brands that breathe, connect, and scale without losing your soul.
www.thebrandstoryteller.com | www.fusionphotographystudio.com | 704-728-2658. | deevo@thebrandstoryteller.com