Building a Brand Identity
As our platform gets more sophisticated, our brand also evolves. For a long time, we have been conscious of our need for a visual identity that helps us stand out and stick in people’s minds, to tie our content and communications together under a single theme. It’s the first thing people we interact with see and it shapes their impression of our product. That’s why we’ve put so much effort into our rebrand and are excited to share it with you.
Meet the Tangram!
We worked on a playful, simple, and, at the same time, nostalgic design in order to represent our brand identity and values, which took shape in the concept of a tangram.
For those who are not familiar with the tangram (lit. ‘seven boards of skill’), it is a wooden geometric puzzle invented in China sometime around the late 18th century. It consists of a square cut into seven flat polygons, called tans, which can be arranged in different ways in order to make up minimalist designs. Our updated variant is smoother, more modern, and boasts more vibrant colors.
By using the tangram, we’ve created graphics that are both unique and fun, expressing the diversity, and variety of communities and activities Plug.events is designed to support. It is also a neutral canvas for you to experiment with. It’s all about community, connectedness, and creativity: different people, as different polygons, interacting with each other to create something new and great.
The squared logo of Plug.events is featured in tangram web illustrations that come to life in a softer variation of the original wooden toy.
Our Name & Logo
Our name was agreed upon after a very long process with hundreds of other name considerations discussed and discarded. In the end, it is very literal, to ‘plug’ is to promote, and this website is used for promoting events, either your own or those of other people.
The name is also a double entendre, and the logo carries the alternative meaning, as a representation of an electrical plug and cable, conveying the idea of staying ‘plugged in’.
Logo Placement
But a brand identity is not just about graphical devices and patterns, it is also about setting rules and standards for how to present our brand. To preserve the integrity and visual impact of the Plug.events logo, we have defined the minimum space to maintain around the logo. The clear space around the logo is equal to the height of the “P” in Plug.events.
We also agreed on how to present the logo on various backgrounds. To preserve the integrity and visual impact of the Plug.events logo, we use the colorful logo on a light background, and if the colorful logo is not visible on a dark background, we use the monochrome version.
Colors
Our colors go back to the very beginning of the project, being somewhat pastel, but also bold and expressive.
Text
Our typeface has been the same since the first pass at brand design, Montserrat, because we like its elegance and versatility.
Examples
Overall, the new Plug.events brand identity is playful, expressive, memorable, and reflects the company’s core values of creativity, connectedness, and community.
Here are some examples of how our brand looks “in action”.
Conclusion
An integral part of Plug.event’s mission is the notion of providing an alternative to the dominant paradigm of social media. We named this new paradigm social media as community service (SMACS, maybe it’ll catch on!). Plug.events represents a parallel universe where your information is kept private, where you are free to speak in safe community-governed spaces, and can easily find things related to your interests without distracting clickbait and ads. The new Plug.events brand identity reflects this creativity, freedom, and safety. You and the people you trust are in control, to build and cultivate your personas as they reflect your real life and relationships.
