Scaling opportunity for a blockchain pioneer
CasperLabs and New Kind design a blockchain for those who build
Background
CasperLabs was created to be the first blockchain to deliver the first implementation of Vlad Zamfir’s CBC Casper proof-of-stake consensus protocol.
Pretty straightforward, right?
Like most high-growth companies, CasperLabs came to us with an existing brand built around the immense technical prowess of their fledgling platform. But features and functions will only take you so far. What separates segment leaders—especially in a crowded space like blockchain—is their ability to translate “speeds and feeds” into a simple, relatable, and ultimately motivating brand narrative. Capture imaginations first, and market share will follow.
Industries: Blockchain
Services: Company Messaging, Identity System, Positioning, Storytelling
Why New Kind?
I've worked with many creative agencies over a few decades in this line of work. From global mega-agencies to boutiques. Only a handful have the depth of craft, creativity, and mature management to be reliable as trusted experts the way New Kind has for us. Working with New Kind has been seamless, educational, inspiring, and fun. New Kind has delivered killer work that helped my team achieve our ambitious goals.
Kevin Watt
Chief Marketing Officer
The Opportunity
Creating consensus around a new vision of blockchain’s future
There’s no shortage of Generation 3 blockchains flooding the market these days, many claiming to be Ethereum’s heir apparent and emerge as the chain to end all chains. The challenge facing the CasperLabs leadership team was to stand out from a very crowded space with a brand story credible enough to sway skeptics, yet aspirational enough to excite the enthusiasts.
The strategy
Make blockchain scale. Make blockchain real.
Scaling technology is one thing.
But scaling equity, transparency, and opportunity for the entire world?
That, we realized, was something only CasperLabs could deliver.
Our research surfaced an opportunity to stake a claim not around tech specs—so many others already claim to be the fastest, most scalable, most stable technology—but rather around CasperLabs’ unique position as a platform in the truest sense.
Brand story and messaging
A platform built to deliver on blockchain’s potential
What makes a platform a platform anyway?
More than simply a collection of related products. Beyond the promises of a “complete suite.”
Living up to the platform moniker means being a future-proof foundation. A visionary idea supported by a realistic roadmap to make it a reality. A sustainable business model designed to grow with application builders as they find success.
CasperLabs is Blockchain for the Builders.
Builders can be anyone. Developer, entrepreneur, enterprise leader. If you’re ready for a platform to finally make it possible to create the next big anything, CasperLabs was built with you in mind.
Visual system
Designing the decentralized future
CasperLabs needed a visual system to match their ambitions and welcome builders to the platform.
Bright and soft cool tones and light neutrals allow the brand’s iconic red to shine. Pairing a light and open system with this unique color combination distinguishes CasperLabs from the darker palettes common in tech.
The “Branching C” logomark is constructed from a network of decentralized nodes, tying together the CasperLabs visual language, brand story, and the qualities of the platform itself. Close consideration was also given to ensuring the mark would scale across a range of touch points: retaining legibility at any size from browser favicons to conference booth headlines.
A sense of structure and world-building emerges from the inclusion of isometric shapes and layouts in the library of CasperLabs patterns, illustration styles, icons, backgrounds, and image treatments.
Outcomes
A creative toolkit for launch and beyond
Taking CasperLabs’ refreshed story to market began with the publication of a cornerstone content piece—to be published on Medium.com—to announce the company’s bold new vision and invite community members to come along.
A suite of sales and marketing materials were also developed, bringing the new brand to life across a range of crucial use cases, equipping the CasperLabs team with a unified message and visual strategy for upcoming blockchain community events worldwide.
