An evolving job market has resulted in a new, skills-focused culture of education, since typical paths like college are no longer a direct passport to securing work. Addressing these challenges is Audo, who partnered with branding and marketing agency Smakk to create a humanistic identity as meaningful as its mission – to bridge the gap between learning and earning with AI, helping Gen Z users of all types reach their full potential.

Originally founded as a marketplace to empower students to find meaningful work while still in school, Audo has since grown into an AI-powered career-building platform that not only focuses on Gen Z, but a broader audience of lifelong learners. This includes those looking to switch careers, uplevel their careers or return to learn skills after taking time off from the workforce. In collaborating with Smakk, Audo relied on the agency’s experience in engaging Gen Z, including their expertise in building CPG brands that Gen Z knows and loves.

“Audo was trying to disrupt a category in a big way and create something inclusive that truly takes the emotional and financial wellness of their audience into consideration,” explains SMAKK Founder Katie Klencheski. “We needed to push the boundaries of design to stand out from the crowd while balancing a timeless feel – fresh and different without being distracting, dated or trendy. This also meant moving away from words, symbols and structures that were borrowed from university or college vernacular or environments – to better keep Audo in a thought leadership position.“

This meant engaging in a robust branding effort that involved completing strategy work, assessing the competitive landscape in both direct and adjacent spaces and looking at key insights and trends in the space with the goal of better defining the brand’s target audience. Smakk’s team then outlined the brand’s positioning, goals and overall creative tactics and directives for building out the brand, resulting in the development of Audo’s unique name, which in Latin means “to dare/have courage, act boldly, venture, risk” – words that echo Gen Z’s emotional and philosophical aspirations.

From there, Smakk created the visual identity and messaging – including but not limited to the logo, brand typography system, color palette, graphics conventions and icons. Pairing orange and electric green gradients with heavy line art signifying a winding educational path, the designs take on a kinetic, youthful feel. In crafting messaging, Smakk took care to build a distinct brand voice and personality, as well as creating brand taglines, repeatable brand messaging, language conventions and a glossary of brand vocabulary.

Smakk also found creative inspiration in an unlikely place – gaming. “There was already a strong gamification aspect to Audo,” adds Klencheski. “Every movement – from taking a course, to referring a friend, to taking the skills assessment – is incentivized with points, tokens and badges. So, the brand identity system naturally took on some of those subtle gaming cues to help create a different look and feel without losing credibility. Audo is a skill and career destination with aspirations to challenge prestigious universities, so we wanted to keep that credible look and feel at the forefront.”

With Audo, Smakk was able to use branding and design to connect to Gen Z and bring new life to a space that is often cloaked in antiquated, stuffy and sometimes unapproachable aesthetics. “With Gen Z’s estimated spending power at over $140 billion, we’ll see more and more established brands trying to pivot to reach the next gen consumer — or die trying,” says Klencheski. “For brands in the education space, this means understanding that their complex needs go beyond employment to include fulfillment, community and financial wellness. With Audo, we were able to apply these insights and more, helping them stand out in a more dynamic, bold culture of education.“