When a team is stronger than it realizes

How a 30-person brainstorming session helped a company finally see itself.

Brainstorming for IT-company

look different in the outside than they do on the inside — but usually the gap is small: an outdated logo, a dry tone of voice, a website that hasn't been refreshed. With QazCloud, it was different.

IT-companies often

Externally, it appeared to be a heavyweight infrastructure provider closely tied to the public sector. Four data centers across Kazakhstan, ISO security certifications, partnerships with major platforms. A serious player that often goes unnoticed simply because it just works.

Internally, it’s a dynamic, ambitious team of engineers who take pride in what they do — and want to finally talk about it in a language other than tender documentation. On this project, I worked alongside a strong PR specialist — he focused on the mission, while I shaped the underlying meaning around it. After speaking with the team, I realized that everyone was describing their own piece, but the pieces didn’t come together into a whole.

I came into a brainstorming session with thirty people already equipped with structured frameworks — hypotheses drawn from interviews and organized into four quadrants. We asked one core question: what kind of company are we, if we imagine ourselves as a person? As an object? As an animal? As architecture?

When people respond through metaphor, they reveal what they wouldn’t say directly. A dome and a bridge spoke to scale and reliability. A sneaker next to a cloud reflected the desire to be easy to engage with, despite the company’s weight. Sticky notes filled the board, and gradually an image began to emerge: something between the Caregiver and the Sage.

is small: an outdated logo, a dry tone of voice, a website that hasn’t been refreshed. With QazCloud, it was defferent.

IT companies often look different on the outside than they do on the inside — but usually the gap

не так, как живут внутри, но обычно
разрыв небольшой: логотип устарел, тон суховат, сайт не

обновляли . С QazCloud всё было иначе.

Иногда легенда бренда рождается в обычном разговоре. Так случилось и с Горняком: брендом котлов, родившимся из настоящей заботы одного мужчины о своей семье.

Externally, it appeared to be a heavyweight infrastructure provider closely tied to the public sector. Four data centers across Kazakhstan, ISO security certifications, partnerships with major platforms. A serious player that often goes unnoticed simply because it just works.

Internally, it’s a dynamic, ambitious team of engineers who take pride in what they do — and want to finally talk about it in a language other than tender documentation.
On this project, I worked alongside a strong PR specialist — he focused on the mission, while I shaped the underlying meaning around it. After speaking with the team, I realized that everyone was describing their own piece, but the pieces didn’t come together into a whole.

I came into a brainstorming session with thirty people already equipped with structured frameworks — hypotheses drawn from interviews and organized into four quadrants. We asked one core question: what kind of company are we, if we imagine ourselves as a person? As an object? As an animal? As architecture?

When people respond through metaphor, they reveal what they wouldn’t say directly. A dome and a bridge spoke to scale and reliability. A sneaker next to a cloud reflected the desire to be easy to engage with, despite the company’s weight. Sticky notes filled the board, and gradually an image began to emerge — something between the Caregiver and the Sage.

The solid layer represents rational reasons to trust: data centers, security, stability, 24/7 service.
The cloud layer reflects the brand’s character and persona..

The ether layer captures values and principles.
And the air layer conveys mission and vision — the most intangible, yet the most essential.

Following the session, we built a four-layer brand platform — and this was no coincidence; the company’s product is structured the same way.

Four layers — just like the product itself: from the hardware in the data center to the cloud above it.

One of the most precise observations came from the team itself: "Our help goes unnoticed as long as everything works" — a perfect articulation of an infrastructure brand’s essence.

I placed this insight at the core of the platform’s emotional benefits. The team recognized themselves in the outcome — and committed to a full rebrand.

One of the most precise observations came from the team itself: "Our help goes unnoticed as long as everything works" — a perfect articulation of an infrastructure brand’s essence.

I placed this insight at the core of the platform’s emotional benefits. The team recognized themselves in the outcome — and committed to a full rebrand.