We elevated an emerging technology’s brand with a refreshed design system and sophisticated storytelling.

While additive manufacturing (aka industrial 3D printing) has been around for 30+ years, the technology is only now beginning to meet the promise of consistent quality, zero minimum manufacturing, and on-demand printing. That being said, while additive manufacturing is by all measures an incredible technology, the average manufacturing professional would be hard pressed to identify an additive brand that’s got both the industry credibility and the cachet of a world class, design-forward company. I worked with AON3D to change all that.

My time at AON3D was uniquely humbling. I was forced to simultaneously learn about an emerging technology with a high technical barrier of entry that does not have much competitive precedent, while also communicating it to an audience of no-bullshit engineers/scientists and highly skilled technicians. I started with high impact needs like sales material and product assets and worked my way up the funnel to targeted ad campaigns, sophisticated email series, and case study storytelling.

A notable detail of my time at AON3D is that the brand marketing team was a team of two — a marketing lead and creative/brand lead that serviced both sales and marketing and moonlighted in product. We worked with a handful of freelance partners, but mostly sorted things out on our own including defining GTM strategies and brand/product messaging. While running lean is typical for early stage technology companies, not every creative leader is up for the challenge.