PlanetScale Identity
A brand identity sprint — design direction and production in 2+ weeks. Built a complete design system from logo to illustrations, internal brand guidelines, pitch decks, and swag to assist recruiting efforts.
My role: Design direction & hands-on production
- Company
- PlanetScale
- Year
- 2020
The thinking behind the work.
Context
PlanetScale was moving from a highly configurable product toward a database that was simple to launch. Its vintage space imagery no longer expressed that direction.
Key decision
Start with simplicity. I chose monoline geometry and abstract linework, pairing the visual direction with the new go-to-market message. Close feedback with the CEO and creative encouragement helped the work move quickly.
The system
A common visual foundation let identity, web, and motion build on the same decisions. It left room for richer expression without starting a new design language for every application.
Applications
The foundation extended into the website, illustrated product stories, motion, internal brand guidelines, pitch decks, campaigns, and recruiting materials.
Outcome
The core brand system came together in a two-week sprint, with early explorations turned around in 24 hours. The result was a coherent baseline that could keep growing with the product while limiting design debt.
Selected work.
Brand challenges
PlanetScale was shifting from a highly configurable product toward a database that was simple to launch. The vintage space imagery needed to give way to a clearer visual language: simple geometry and abstract linework.
Quick explorations
Early visual explorations, turned around in 24 hours with close CEO feedback.
The Database for Developers
Monoline forms created a shared baseline for identity, web, and motion. The visual system could grow in detail while staying connected to the same underlying decisions.
Ship and iterate
The initial brand system was developed in a two-week sprint, then applied across the website, motion, campaigns, and recruiting materials. A simple foundation made it possible to keep building without restarting the design language for each new format.
Built to extend
The same foundation supports both geometric linework and richer dimensional explorations.
