The stated problem was hierarchy – parent brand competing with subsidiaries, members confused about what they were using. But at bottom the problem was simpler and harder than that: there was no system. Every communication required judgment that should have been built into the process. A three-thousand-person enterprise running on improvisation.

Four years building the infrastructure behind it. A three-layer production system – source files, channel systems, production masters – spanning six sub-brands, sixty-seven employer group identities, four communication channels, legal compliance documentation across every product line. A system intended to remove the designer from production.

The purpose was stated in the original documentation: to build, organize, and promote an omni-channel design system to be used enterprise wide – creating a consistent, scalable brand presence across every touchpoint, member and provider and broker and employer.