How do you emerge from bankruptcy a better company than before? 

Overview

New leadership of a privately held oil and gas company in the Gulf of Mexico was challenged to expertly navigate the company through Chapter 11 and a complex restructuring. Compounding the situation, the company needed to reinvent itself starting with its name, its visual and cultural identity and its approach to safety. The workforce needed to be convinced that the emerging company would be strong, committed and completely different from the original company, which had experienced a successful, yet tumultuous past.

The Human Approach

Every aspect of their identity and commitment to their people was rethought. They chose a comprehensive redesign of their interactions, their spaces, their safety and their culture. And, with a fresh start, came a new name and brand. Twenty-five degrees north latitude, or “quarter” north, runs directly through the Gulf of Mexico. This was the inspiration for the name, QuarterNorth Energy, since the Gulf is where they concentrate their work and it is literally their  backyard. The brand colors were derived from their work environment as well—deep sea blue and sunset orange. The 25 degree mark is a key component in the brand system (every platform has it printed on their helipad, positioned to point directly north) and is the framework for their TrueNorth integrated safety and cultural model.

Brand Identity Aligned with Culture

The name drove the visual identity. The cultural identity was crafted from an aligned vision and foundational cultural elements, including an acronym (NORTH) that humanized their shared values. Every word was considered and defined. The expectations were set for what the company could and must become. The work extended far beyond the traditional office spaces. They were intentional about infusing their spaces with their expectations around culture, safety and how the company works in new and different ways. This manifested in newly designed experiences and workspaces everywhere the QuarterNorth team works—from the Houston and Lafayette offices, to all their assets in the Gulf.