Genesys sells software that is powerful and complex. Genesys Product Marketing initiated a free trial for GenesysCloud. But they wanted it to feel different than the typical free trial that throws people in the deep end of the pool and walks away for 30 days. What if the prospect had a life preserver? What if they had something to cling to if they felt uncertain or release if they felt confident? I was tasked with thinking through some copy and instructions that would feel personal, non-threatening, and predict an easy trial experience. The first thing I wanted to steer clear of was typical 1960s-influenced B2B illustration.

It felt important to stay away from the slick digital look of typical B2B. I tried out a paper cut-out look to emphasize something tactile and approachable. Below is a mockup of a webpage.

This illustration style would have to link arms with other pages. I did some mockups and some copy to show how that might look.

Here's the deal. We already had a branded illustration style, but it was super quirky. The folks working on TestDrive felt the house style was at odds with their goals. Since I was proposing a different style, I wanted to show there was room in town for both. So I wrote a page on empathy (something the company is struggling to talk about more articulately). I used the new style to frame the discussion with a personable teacher type (more emotionally consoling) and used the older analytical style to give voice to the arguments.

This attempt was rejected in the end, and illustrations were scrubbed entirely in favor of video and stock photography. Still, I'm proud of this approach.