Our process | codespeaks

codespeaks is a specialist software development & interface architecture company in Geneva, Switzerland.

They enlisted Helvetic Brands® to create a brand identity that would reflect their dynamic, idea-driven approach to finding elegant solutions.

Concept

Getting an understanding of our clients & their businesses is paramount. This enables us to give each project its unique process & story. The first slide from our keynote presentation refers to that story. We used visual elements of the barcode & speech bubble to express the brand name in graphical form. These were synthesized further to create the building blocks for the rest of the design.

Symbol

Sketching is essential to the process and appears in two phases - pen & paper, followed by digital . Being away from a screen at first always helps with imagination. Various rough sketches are developed over the brainstorming process including quotation marks, and initial letters to morse code.

With the preferred direction decided upon, we defined its geometry with the aid of a grid. We strive to make even the smallest of details beautiful.

We used the golden ratio to determine the size of the first square with the subsequent shapes increasing in size.

Typography

Next, we began bespoke typography that would complement the new symbol. We decided on a sans serif to match the simplicity of lines. Early sketches were refined over time to achieve the desired result.

With the codespeaks logotype as the foundation, we had all the elements required to develop the alphabet into a standalone typeface. The deliverables we provided were in regular, light & italic weights.

Sub brands

To harmonize their suite of applications & projects, we developed a system of forms while expanding the color palette. Each icon has a base element found in the codespeaks symbol.

Business card

All parts of the creative endeavor culminate in the business card. Throughout the process, the goal is to synthesize every data point we receive from the clients into a single expression. The business card is an extrapolation of that expression.