EMI Group – Visual identity and website for a company aiming for over 100 million euros in revenue by 2025
About EMI Group
Headquartered in Bucharest and founded by a French family, EMI Group has over 20 years of experience in the market, providing complete access solutions and services. Today, the company includes multiple entities in Romania and Belgium and is led by an outstanding CEO—Jerome France, a well-known figure in the door and automation solutions industry, as well as in the motorsport world, where he has achieved remarkable rally results in recent years.
Additionally, EMI Group has received support from investment funds Morphosis Capital and Innova Capital, which became shareholders following multiple rounds of capital infusion.
About Toud
We, Toud, are a branding and design agency with extensive experience in the niche in which EMI Group operates—operational access systems. We believe that our projects speak best for us. We also believe that we are the only branding and design agency in Romania with its registered office and workspace in a village—Satul Românesc (The Romanian Village)—a place that has not only adopted us but also nurtures us, inspires us, and, most importantly, keeps us grounded, with our hearts a little more open.
Where we started from
EMI Group already existed in 2024, before we started this project, both as a legal entity and as a brand—at least for its employees and the companies within the group. At the same time, EMI Romania was also part of this story. An internal team had already laid the foundations of the brand identity.
Our task was to create the visual identity and website for the group and to distinguish it from EMI Romania. While there was already a brand identity—a consensus on what EMI Group represents, what it does, what it believes in, and its reason for existing beyond commercial purposes—it was incredibly challenging to craft a visual identity that would encompass all the entities involved: employees from companies in Romania, Belgium, investment funds, and, most importantly, entrepreneurs and leaders who were already deeply connected to their companies.
The journey
The process spanned several months, during which we:
- Analyzed the companies within the group, their teams, competitors, potential and existing clients, and, most importantly, delved deeply into the elements of brand identity.
- Defined a creative brief for the logo and visual identity.
- Created a series of proposals and refined them until we reached an optimal version.
- Went through the UX, UI, and website implementation processes.
- Tested throughout the entire project.
Everything worked seamlessly. Looking back, several factors contributed to this success:
- We worked within a tight-knit, compact team that included key people from the group.
- These individuals managed the relationship with the company leaders exceptionally well, undertaking tremendous work while carefully handling the emotions of all stakeholders.
- We applied the methods we use at Toud to develop a logo, a visual identity, and a website.
- We maintained an open approach to meetings, feedback, and had a genuine desire to create something meaningful.
We were patient—both our team and EMI Group’s team.
Is it hard to build a group and a group identity?
We don’t claim expertise in building a successful business group—we can only assume it is extremely challenging, as it requires a catalyst to harmonize countless ideas and emotions.
But a group identity? That is challenging because companies joining a group are forced to step outside their established paradigm. They need to embrace a broader identity—to become something more than what they were (at least professionally).
In such a process, finding a shared vision, a common ambition, and values that enhance—not replace—the existing team culture is difficult.
It’s challenging to transform multiple teams into one larger, unified team where people truly belong while preserving the individual identity and strength of the original teams.
For EMI Group, this process was easier because the group’s foundation is built on the belief that together, they can achieve much more while maintaining the integrity, independence, and dreams of each team (each integrated company). However, from now on, all these teams are part of something bigger, stronger, and better resourced.
What did we learn from this project?
Some thoughts from the EMI Group team
Andreea Strugaru, Group Marketing Manager
“For me, the most important quality in a creative agency is that its people first seek to understand our business—how it generates value, the market it operates in, and how it targets clients—and only then develop their own strategy to deliver the necessary outcomes. Otherwise, the result would be just form without substance. I have known Alexandru for a long time and choose to work with him precisely because he understands this principle very well. His role is to help me ensure that our message is clear to our people, clients, and partners—and so far, he has done an excellent job.”
Alexandra Ilinca, Communication Executive
Our collaboration with the Toud team felt natural and authentic—we listened to each other, exchanged ideas, and together built an identity that truly reflects EMI Group’s essence. We tested multiple options, discussed every detail, and ultimately found the right solution to represent the Group. The final visual identity perfectly embodies EMI Group’s vision and ambitions, and this outcome would not have been possible without a dedicated, engaged team that was ready to understand and translate the founders’ vision into design.”
What’s next?
For EMI Group, the year ahead is filled with opportunities and challenges, influenced by the instability of global markets. However, the beginning of this year marks a new journey—together—under a strong identity.
For Toud, the future holds new projects and the continued joy of supporting visionaries—people who see potential in ideas, believe in them, and, most importantly, work actively to bring them to life—for their own benefit, for their teams, their clients, and the communities they touch.
Alexandru Grigorescu,
Co-founder, Toud