CLIENT:
D/XYZ
ROLE:
research
ideation
art direction
illustration
CATEGORY: illustration
DATE:
Feb. 2022
D/XYZ (pronounced Destiny)
Didn’t go to business school? Neither did I. So I wondered, how can D/XYZ, a new investment platform, make a key idea for understanding their role in the market feel more approachable and exciting to the average, everyday investor?
If you’re like me, trying to understand investment and financial lingo can make you feel like your head is spinning right off your neck. D/XYZ is a revolutionary new investment company working towards giving everyday consumers public access to private technology companies. While an incredibly cool advancement, it is arguably not the most inherently understood concept by the target audience they’re hoping to reach. I was hired to create an illustration to be used across their social media (and any other platforms they felt applicable) that would help, in conjunction with a simplified caption, explain and create interest in the most integral part of D/XYZ’s mission, unicorn companies.
To start, a unicorn company by definition is “a privately held startup company valued at over US$1 billion. The term was first published in 2013, coined by venture capitalist Aileen Lee, choosing the mythical animal to represent the statistical rarity of such successful ventures.” (Thank you Wikipedia)
Research & Ideation
Can the whimsical imagery of a unicorn successfully be merged with the brand guidelines of a financial startup?
As part of their growth journey, D/XYZ was planning on launching a series of social media posts that break down some of the lessen-known/more complex terms and concepts integral to the world of investing. With that in mind, I began to think about how a unicorn (or unicorn symbol) could be merged with the visual authority required for a financial start-up’s success.
It became clear early on that anything involving a horse wasn’t going to cut it. After many lists, sketches, and hours reminding myself exactly what a unicorn company was, I landed on something simple, clean, and easy to digest: a hatching unicorn.
Art Direction & Illustration
What artistic choices would best support not only the chosen concept but also D/XYZ’s growing brand image as a whole?
As a relatively new organization, D/XYZ’s overall visual image is still hatching into its fully developed form. With that said, there’s no doubt it chosen design direction is driven by clean and bold design choices with an undertone of playfulness. While the assignment allowed the illustration’s styling to break from the current visual systems and structures of the company’s brand, I knew I wanted to keep some threads of continuity to help maintain consumer recognition during this growing phase of the business. It was from this thought that I decided to use the company’s primary color, bright pink, as the backdrop for my illustration. From there, I decided to merge photo and illustration to create the final piece as a way to allude to the contradictory nature of this business phenomenon both practically relevant and yet mystically rare in nature.