A Bridge to the Future of Executive Recruiting

In 2019, Inkinen and Associates, Hawaii’s premier executive search and recruiting firm, faced the stark reality that their founder and president, Kathy Inkinen, was going to retire leaving behind a strong legacy and brand that had been carefully curated over the years. Having planned for this eventuality, Inkinen and Associates tapped Ben Ancheta to lead the company once Kathy had moved on. Even with a succession plan firmly in place, the challenge remained: how can Inkinen and Associates continue to leverage its brand equity and retain its strong position as an industry leader once the company’s namesake was no longer in the picture?

After consulting with Blackletter Group, Inkinen and Associates was able to successfully build a bridge between the past and the future with a thoughtful and expertly crafted new brand identity. Harnessing the strength of the founder’s 30-plus years of building relationships the new brand positioned the company for a bright future with a contemporary and progressive look and feel.

To help communicate the transition from former leadership to new, the more traditional, “and Associates” was dropped from the company name leaving just the surname Inkinen, resulting in a more singular and contemporary moniker.

Along with the revised company name, a new logo was adopted. The Inkinen logotype is presented in an all-caps style. Intentionally sans decorative details, the simplicity and sharpness of forms of the logotype connotes corporate strength and integrity. 

A new marketing tagline, “Executive Search” is also buttressed under the logotype to reinforce the brand identity.

New corporate colors of blue and gold is a nod to the company’s stout reputation in the market as being the gold standard in executive recruitment.

A redesigned website also helped crystalize the transition from the past to the future. Retaining functionality and an intuitive user experience, the new website provides a fresh and inviting glimpse into Inkinen’s commitment to its clients and the community.