Bath brand and digital agency Mr B & Friends has developed a refreshed identity and e-commerce site for employee benefits provider TechBenefits, which is also based in the city.
TechBenefits allows businesses’ employees to select what tech they want from an online shop, including laptops, speakers, headphones and TVs. Employees can then pay monthly for the items through salary sacrifice. 
Mr B & Friends explored territories for the brand and worked collaboratively with TechBenefits’ team before developing the brand idea and proposition of ‘sacrifice nothing.’
Mr B & Friends executive creative director Steve Richardson said: “The big difference with TechBenefits is there are no middle-men. They are the techies who recommend the right technology for you, as well as any accessories and set-up required.
“The product is the best of both worlds – an efficient online shop, with the added value of tech experts running it.
“We decided to build our strategy around this as well as the pure joy we all feel when unboxing a shiny new piece of kit,”
Steve and design director Sheena Mistry led the Mr B & Friends creative team in developing a refreshed identity, tone of voice, palette and visual language that was full of wit and energy.
The identity system features a jumping man icon, evolved from an earlier marque. With this as the basis, the agency art directed a range of new product imagery featuring the beautiful technology on offer.
Using a combination of these images, lifestyle shots and some playful illustrations of the team, the brand style started to take shape.
Sheena said: “We knew from the very start that a seamless digital experience was very important for both employees interested in sourcing new tech, and for employers looking to motivate staff.
“Following meetings with the team and UX workshops we were able to build experiences for both employees and employers as well as a completely new shop and product pages. This along with a ‘tech-tip’ style blog, keeps content fresh, and up-to-date.”
Behind the design of the website is a bespoke e-commerce platform developed using open source web technologies and capable of handling thousands of products across hundreds of companies.
The entire application is also securely integrated into TechBenefits’ third-party backend order management system, ensuring that administrators can easily manage fulfilment while providing real-time feedback to website users via a secure online customer portal. 
TechBenefits managing director Mark Hooper, pictured in Mr B & Friends’ website refresh, said: “When we decided to invest again in the website and look to build on our success, we had no second thoughts about working with Mr B & Friends.
“They took time to understand our products and service, creating a brand which feels right at home with the high-end products we sell.”
Walcot Street-based TechBenefits was launched in 2013 by Bath-based Apple authorised reseller and Apple authorised service provider Farpoint Developments.
