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Becoming Bluum
If you’ve been with us for a little while, you’ve probably noticed a lot of exciting changes happening.
With a new name, new look, and expanded offerings, we’ve been intently focused on creating a brighter future for our clients, partners, and team members. To help better understand where we are headed, let’s take a quick look at how we got here.
Nurturing Our Roots
In mid-2019, two edtech providers with a long history of helping educators use technology to achieve better learning outcomes - Troxell Communication and CDI Technologies – merged and became Trox. Both companies shared a commitment to forming long-term relationships with schools in the US and Canada to provide a higher level of personalized service and value around education technology.
In mid-2021, Tierney joined forces with Trox and overnight, the company became the nation’s largest education technology catalyst and went to market at Trox + Tierney. With a stronger team, greater footprint, and an enhanced technology portfolio, we united under single mission to improve learning and make it more effective. These were the first of many momentous changes ahead.
Troxell, CDI and Tierney built their legacies as leaders in learning, communications and collaboration technology, each brand with a rich history and a solid reputation.
We merged with the shared belief that education is the single most achievable step we can take toward creating a more connected and equitable world. We saw this evolution in our organization as an opportunity to positively impact more educators, students, and people.
Anticipating our next chapter got us thinking a lot about our own story. Between our shared knowledge, industry experience, and exceptional support, the value we provided our clients was clear. But something was still missing — an identity that aligned with our higher purpose.
We knew what we stood for. We just had to figure out how to communicate it.
Why Rebrand?
Despite what we knew to be true about our “why”, our old names and business models positioned us as a reseller of technology products – a commoditized category that focused solely on selling products, and not the positive impact we create for the people we serve.
With multiple companies, categories, and markets all joining in one group, we knew that achieving our grand vision would only be possible if we stood united under our higher purpose. We needed a north star our team could rally behind, something that got us excited to contribute to something greater.
A future where everyone has access to great education.
With a firm grasp on our purpose and core strengths, we united our organizations under one brand, with a focus transforming education to improve the world.
A Name With a Higher Calling
The first step to writing our new brand’s story was crafting a name the entire company could identify with. It needed to feel authentic to our values and speak to the change we were collectively creating for the world around us.
After conducting market research to better understand our customers’ feelings about our old names, we found we were missing an opportunity to introduce them to our vision. We needed a name that captured our calling.
One company-wide naming sprint and hundreds of names later, it was time to pick the brightest of the bunch.
The word “bloom” naturally stood out to us, stirring up images of young minds blossoming through engaging learning experiences. It also draws from Bloom’s Taxonomy, a learning model often used by educators. We knew we had a winner.
A name rooted in education theory and limitless possibilities, it was time for Trox + Tierney to Bluum.
Bringing the Brand to Life
With a clear strategy and new name in hand, we had the focus we needed to build an entire identity around our position as the mission-driven learning technology experts. These are the results of that journey.
Casting a Wide Wingspan by Talking the Talk
Our brand’s “intelligently optimistic” voice and tone are designed to make educators feel understood and kindle their sense of wonder. A confident, authoritative voice grounds us in our expertise, and a friendly tone brings our relationship-focused partnership philosophy to life.
A Visual Identity That’s Ready for Flight
Our new visual identity captures our brand’s innocent, curious, and energetic undertones by playing into our name’s natural roots. The identity’s inherent flexibility and unique vibrance allow us not to just keep up with the EdTech industry, but to continue setting the pace.
Being the only bird that can hover and fly in all directions, our hummingbird logo speaks to the wisdom and agility that are so foundational to who we are and what we do. Hummingbirds are also master pollinators, perfectly aligned with our goal to enrich young minds everywhere with the fuel to blossom.
A subtle nod to one of Trox’s signature hues, our new palette of bright, cheery greens ties in our roots while differentiating us with a color palette completely unique from the rest in our business.
Light blue accents give us even more room to play, tying in our sky-high vision for the future.
Our secondary purple palette packs an added punch across all channels and brands, combining Tierney’s signature red with Trox’s blue to represent a vibrant team that’s ready to grow together.
As a growing brand that’s seen in a variety of places, our design system was designed to scale and adapt as we continue to grow.
Our new icon style and playful patterns are inspired by our brand mark, and are modern and clean, bringing our imaginative approach to elegant learning solutions to life.
The Future in Full Bluum
Our new look isn’t just a new coat of paint. It comes from the heart.
Our new identity is a proclamation of our commitment to cultivating possibility for educators, learners, and people everywhere.
We’re the same purpose-driven company we’ve always been. We’re just more focused and much better at showing it.