Upwork Campaign and Rebrand – Up We Go – Case Study

A sweeping take on the new way of working.

With a complete rebrand, product overhaul and platform launch across 180 counties, the world’s largest freelancing platform reframed work as a better way to work and a catalyst for a better life.

...freelancing is changing work

— Hayden Brown, Upwork CEO, The New York Times

Twenty years after its launch, Upwork was looking like a dated software company for gap-filling freelance gigs.

Overhauling its image would require a top-to-bottom approach. The task was to relaunch the company—which posts 8,000 jobs a day, serving five million employers and 18 million freelancers—as a new industry category entirely: “The world’s work marketplace,” a tool as vital and revolutionary as Uber, Airbnb and Amazon.

Complete Rebrand and Product Overhaul
Complete Rebrand and Product Overhaul
Complete Rebrand and Product Overhaul

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“Up We Go” became the rallying cry for an optimistic and dynamic future of work—one powered by independent freelance talent.

To complement its new role, a total brand and product overhaul painted a picture of Upwork as a catalyst for a better life and a better world, altering people’s perception of the brand. A global campaign brought to life Upwork’s grand vision of independent talent at the heart of every business.

Up We Go (Film)

For 180 seconds, viewers share an exhilarating quest, and perhaps imagine themselves breaking out of their own comfort zones to explore new horizons.

— Muse by Clio

A poignant film offers an inspiring take on a new way of working.

The film told a story about freelance talent and companies taking a leap to create better businesses, better careers and better lives. The campaign also included insightful 60-, 30- and 15-second spots that spoke to both talent and businesses in search of talent, which were released in concert with outdoor, podcast/radio, digital and social assets.

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A new product and brand charts a course for the future.

In parallel, we embarked on a total brand and product overhaul that included a redesigned product and app experience, refreshed logo, new font and color scheme and a library of 200 icons, 120 images and 40 illustrations.