Zachary Scott Finds the Sweet Spot Between Brand Identity and Humor for ServiceNow

Technology companies face an interesting challenge when it comes to marketing and creative content: how do you visualize complex systems that are often invisible?

ServiceNow set out to answer that question by creating a visual library that puts humanity at the center of its brand; expressive, infused with humor and is unified by an ownable color story. With just the right amount of quirk, intentional details, vibrant pops of color and a sensational cast, Photographer and Director Zachary Scott brought this vision to life. 

What was your approach to the ServiceNow brief?

My approach centered on creating human-centric scenes anchored by ServiceNow’s leadership personas, complemented by a diverse improv cast of coworkers to build out the brand identity.  By widening the frame and balancing talent, environment and design in each scene, I curated spaces for talent improvisation while tackling the practical needs for this large-scale campaign. 

It seems as though you’re telling stories not only with the direction of talent but with their environments, color and styling.

Curated environments enhancing architectural features allowed teams to gather and their scenes to naturally unfold.  The color story is reinforced throughout with carefully stylized wardrobe and propping to reflect each unique workspace. Creating these spaces led to spontaneous, subtle moments of immersion where talent was free to explore their character’s personality and feed off each other’s energy.  The synergy on set was infectious which made the process of storytelling effortless. 

The images feel very structured and intentional. What was the creative direction you were given going into the project?

The direction was really about showing how people operate as part of a larger team. Instead of focusing on a single person and building a narrative around them, the idea was to show how individuals’ function within a system.

So, the story becomes less about one character and more about collaboration. You’re seeing how different roles come together. That shift naturally changes the way you approach the images because the focus is on the interaction between people rather than isolating one subject.

That shift toward teams also seems to influence how you framed the scenes.

Definitely. I ended up pulling the camera back more than I normally would. The compositions needed to feel open because the images were designed to work within layouts that would include copy and messaging.  With that said, the images also work with tighter crops.  I intentionally work to provide as much flexibility I can so images can be used for multiple purposes down the road.

I actually like working within those kinds of constraints. When you have a clear framework, it focuses your energy creatively. It’s a bit like a narrowing stream. The boundaries make you think more carefully about composition and balance, and the ideas move faster within that structure.

The environments and color palettes feel rich and intentional, especially in the more technical spaces.

The environment was a big part of the storytelling. In a place like the server room, for example, the space itself carries a lot of visual weight. The lighting, the color temperature and the structure of the room all help communicate the idea of infrastructure and technology.

Color also plays a big role for me. I tend to be drawn to palettes that feel harmonious but still have energy to them. The tones in this project are a little richer and deeper, which helps create that more technical atmosphere while still keeping the images visually engaging.

Some of the scenes feel almost architectural in how the people sit within the space.

That’s something I think about a lot when I’m composing an image. It’s not just where the subject stands, it’s how they exist within the environment around them.

When you’re photographing groups, you’re balancing a lot of elements at once: body language, spacing, color, negative space. I like finding that point where everything feels aligned, where the environment, the people and the composition all support each other.

What were some of the challenges of photographing these larger group environments?

Group scenes always require a bit of choreography. You’re balancing multiple people while still trying to keep the composition clean and intentional.

At the same time, you’re thinking about how the image will function once design and messaging are added later. So, the photograph has to work both as a standalone image and as part of a larger campaign system.

The campaign includes both larger group scenes and a series of individual portraits. How did those fit into the overall visual system?

The portraits were meant to complement the larger team scenes. Some of them were ultimately used as tighter crops in the final layouts, but they still needed to feel connected visually. 

It was a fun opportunity to connect with talent individually before they had to meet the rest of their teams for the group images. It helped build rapport & trust and reinforcing the experimental and free-flowing vibe on set. 

When you look back at the finished campaign, what feels most representative of your approach?

For me it’s really about finding harmony in the image. There are a lot of influences at play in any project, the client’s strategy, the environment, the people in front of the camera, and your own creative instincts.

The goal is to bring all of those elements together in a way that feels balanced. When that happens, the photograph communicates clearly, and everything in the frame feels like it belongs there.