Yousendit becomes Hightail

File-sharing service Yousendit has rebranded using the new name Hightail.

The new Hightail identity
The new Hightail identity

The company offers online file sending, storage and management and the rebrand comes as it is trying to reposition itself away from its origins as a file-transfer company.

Hightail says it worked with Siegel + Gale to come up with a name ‘it could really believe in’, before developing the identity in-house.

Hightail also dropped its previous paper aeroplane identity and replaced it with what it describes as ‘a bold new visual identity that offers an elegant contrast to the generic style of other cloud services’.

The Hightail branding
The Hightail branding

The new look is based on a red and grey colour palette, while the ‘H’ in Hightail has an accent over it and can be used in isolation.

Hightail chief marketing officer Mike Trigg says, ‘We considered literally hundreds of possible names. There were several reasons why we went with Hightail. 

‘We wanted a name that communicated a set of product attributes — ease-of-use, speed, adaptability — but we didn’t want a name that was overly descriptive or restrictive to a particular feature (so the words cloud, box, sync and share were off limits). We also didn’t want a “made up” word for a name — they are just too difficult to spell and remember. The name needed to work well internationally and be pronounceable in various languages. 

Hightail homepage
Hightail homepage

‘We liked that it was an actionable name that worked well in the spoken vernacular — I can “hightail” a file to you.  Finally, we wanted a name that communicated our brand promise of helping professionals get work done which has always been our core mission.’

Triggs adds, ‘The name and colors set us apart; we didn’t go with gray, white or blue. We went with a red/orange color scheme because we wanted something strong to reflect the passion that our customers have for their work. And, of course, the colors are bold.’

The Hightail 'H' on Android app
The Hightail ‘H’ on Android app

Aaron Martin, creative director at Hightail, says, ‘We landed on an interesting thought: we want to be like NASA was in the 60’s. We’re not the superstars, we’re not the astronauts. We’re the scientists and engineers in the background, doing the hard work to make our customers look great. So, how could we design a brand that inspired trust, stability, and security. And I think that after locking ourselves in a room for a week, we successfully developed something we could call our own and fill with value and trust.’

Hightail says it is rolling out the branding across desktop and mobile touchpoints over the coming weeks.

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