Visual Identity
Client — Plethys
Establishing the visual identity for a problem-solving newcomer in the smartwatch industry
Plethys is a startup company that aims to solve a widespread issue across the smartwatch industry: performance inconsistency for users with darker skin, obesity, excessive body hair, and wrist tattoos. With its name deriving from photoplethysmography (PPG), the science behind the company's smartwatch attachments, Plethys hopes to take an education-centered marketing approach with its products. From casual smartwatch wearers to dedicated athletes, Plethys aspires to elevate smartwatch performance, usability, and accessibility, while establishing itself as a beacon of reliability and trust.
Logo Exploration
When developing potential logo directions, I was particularly inspired by the lasers that emit from the back of smartwatches, as well as an early prototype for Plethys's patented optical lens. My sketches and early digital iterations explore these concepts through logotypes, logomarks, and lock-ups.
Logo Variations
The primary logo was built using the typeface All Round Gothic as a base, with the letterforms customized to match the recurring oval motif found throughout the rest of the system. The logomark combines the oval (representing a lens) and two line segments (representing the two lasers at the back of smartwatches) to form a capital letter P for the brand name.
Colors and Typography
Along with using green to represent PPG lasers, I used blue to represent stability and reliability, and light beige to bring a sense of warmth and approachability. The typefaces All Round Gothic and Urbane were chosen for their cleanliness and modernity.
The Oval as a Motif
To continue highlighting Plethys's patented optical lens, the core of their products, the same oval I used to build the logotype and logomark was brought into other assets in the identity system.
Three icons were created using this oval to represent the brand's future product lines. The brand pattern utilizes overlapped lines and ovals (formed from an outlined version of the logotype's letter P) to give a sense of dimension. When viewing the pattern from a distance, the blurred shapes simulate vibration and constant movement, calling back to a key demographic of Plethys's target audience: athletes.
