Logo and Branding: CX
Posted: February 21, 2012 Filed under: Logos & Branding, Technology | Tags: bespoke, Brand, Branding News, cloud, Cloud Experience, custom, CX, data, design, graphic, green, identity, information technology, ipad, iphone, logo, logo news, logo-mark, logo-type, monogram, Moving Brand, moving brands, news, opinion, overprint, pink, review, richard baird, stationary, storage, transparency, typography 5 Comments »
CX, formerly Cloud Experience is a provider of cloud based storage that, much like Dropbox allows you to upload and sync content across multiple devices. As part of a rebranding exercise, CX approached international brand development agency Moving Brands, to create a new name and visual identity solution that would move them away from the generic and ‘more commoditized companies’ and establish them as a more social proposition.
“Cloud Experience had already invested heavily in the domain name, so a thorough naming process working within these limitations led to the solution of ‘CX.’ The aspirational and user-focused strap line “Cloud to the Power of X,” suggests an offer that encompasses all you expect from the cloud, magnified to the infinite power.”
“For this technology led but consumer-focused organization, a believable, human Brand Narrative was critical. ‘Content comes to life’ reflects CX’s ability to bring simplicity and excitement to the way we share and store content in a moving world. Defining Behaviors such as ‘geektastic,’ ‘simple’ and ‘obsessive,’ gave shape to the character of the business and how the experience they deliver comes to life.”
“The visual identity system was driven by the important relationship between the copy and graphic language. The vibrant core assets are complemented by a library of color and pattern elements. A bespoke typeface was created that includes a built-in open-type iconographic system. The unique graphic language is supported by a tone of voice and messaging system built of the Brand Behaviour and Brand Character attributes. A system of curated photography completes the system.”
“The UX underpins the products ‘social’ credentials, and was designed to be scalable, with added functionality and user experience to be implemented as the business matured.”
- Taken from the Moving Brands website
The inflated weight, rounded terminals and use of transparencies across a monogrammatic logo-mark establishes a clear sense of accessibility that, juxtaposed across a broader and more geometric set of assets delivers a stylised and more consumable representation of technology that feels responsive and experience driven. The accompanying and proprietary typeface appears a little familiar and perhaps conventionally ‘social’ but has some nice little quirks and succeeds in delivering a bold and engaging aesthetic to the simple functionality of storing and retrieving data. The iconography is easy to understand and sharper than the logo-mark and introduces an appropriate contrast and divide between style and function while a vibrant and energetic colour palette in conjunction with transparencies and miss-aligned overlays creates interesting layers of information across the collaterals.
The result is a far more people-centric and tangible repackaging of a predominantly invisible commodity that compared to the stark functionality and interfaces of its competitors should have broader appeal.
Visit the BP&O Logo Gallery for a chronological guide to all the identities reviewed on BP&O.
More from Moving Brands:
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Richard BairdRichard is a British freelance designer and writer who specialises in the development of logos, branding and packaging. He has written for Brand New and Design Week, is an editor for The Dieline, has featured in Computer Arts magazine and also runs the resource Design Survival. |
I really want to like this ID system but I can’t help but think it’s trying to be everything to everyone. And I know this was central to their brief but being overly flexible like this really bugs me and I think great design can be achieved without trying to appease everyone.
When I look at it I get: AOL, Melbourne, Unitec (NZ), MIT Media Lab and Casa da musica.
So on that front, is it unique? Not really? But by being ‘fun’ it goes someway to demystifying ‘cloud’.
Thanks for adding your opinion Kaleb and I agree, a lot of the techniques are familiar.
I think that essentially there is a ‘bag of tricks’ that allows a brand to communicate certain propositions easily with today’s consumer. Rounded ‘accessible’ typefaces, energetic colourways etc are easily understood by a wide demographic and don’t require any deep understanding of design or ‘insight’. The way consumers come to understand these change over time and are the result of a combination of things such as fashion, music, the media, politics, travel; things that designers respond to but can’t control.
I believe that it’s the way a designer combines these techniques (which, in isolation are perceived as saturated) that delivers originality.
I’m liking it. It’s fun and makes cloud storage (not the most exciting thing to talk abut) look exciting. I’ll have to give the product a go… I’m a huge Dropbox fan
Thanks for chipping in, I do prefer a sense of functionality over style (dropbox is a good example) but I think that CX’s UI and identity is a nice blend of the two.
I like the outer shape, the idea behind the design, but not the design itself. For me there is no clear identity… too much details and techniques which, in my opinion, hurt more then help. However, I can’t see that I don’t like the first 3 logos and the use of one of them in the business card. I really like that.
Thank you for sharing, I really like your choices.