How I created the brand identity for our startup, p. 3. Demo
It’s the third part of a three-part story on how I created the brand identity for our startup, SharpShark. Check the first and the second parts here.
SharpShark is a legal tech service that helps to protect copyright.
It’s a digitally native service built with respect for the legacy of traditional technologies, so its identity is based on digital-only colors and solutions but has certain references to the physical world.
Let’s dive into SharpShark!
The placement of the graphic symbol alludes to footnotes and the © symbol.
And the graphic symbol itself is a regular 7-pointed star, the sign of quality.
The star can vary.
If the space is scarce, the star symbol can be inserted between the words, to become more noticeable.
Let’s talk about other components.
The palette derives from the labs where they create holographic items, where the ultraviolet is dominant. By the way, the palette is A/AA-compatible (accessible). And it refers to the coloristic of the mother platform, the Symbol platform, that the SharpShark product is built on.
Speaking about layouts, there are three types of them: the brightest, a moderately bright, and a neutral one:
It goes in line with the already existing pattern of patent paperwork: bright, full-color covers and information inner sheets.
But what about the uniting element?
The core graphic element is a varied line. On one hand, it refers to the standard layouts of official patent documents. On the other hand, it reflects the idea of an object that has been created once and exists forever from now on (because a line is essentially a repeated dot).
The central element of the product is the certificate. That is why the line here starts with a small indent. And on other items, it appears (“continues across”) without such indent.
The line itself is dynamic.
It can become thick and, eventually, become a background:
It can be made up of words or elements:
It can incorporate pictures:
The character of the line can also vary, emphasizing the message. Depending on the statement, the line can become more jagged:
The main principle is the contrast between thin and thick lines. This principle is supported in icons:
As well as the in typography.
So, there are two featured fonts in the brand identity: an accented and a regular one.
The accented font matches the line design with its bold and hair-thin strokes:
Its usage is restricted to the logotype and, rarely, to some headlines.
On the contrary, the regular font is a readable neutral Swiss grotesque:
As for the pattern, it’s based on a physical phenomenon behind the interference.
It could be made of various elements:
New colorists found its expression in the UI as well:
But this is a whole new story.
All in all, the whole identity revolves around the concept of the sea — waves, stars, a shark — because the mission of the company is to deal with copyright “pirates” and make the “ocean” of content a clean and safe place.
Right now, we’re steadily updating our materials and planning to craft some real-world assets.
P. S. Svyat, thank you so-o much for your feedback and advice; if it weren’t for you, this journey wouldn’t have been so exciting!
