AIxDesign is a global community of designers, creative technologists, and activists using AI in pursuit of creativity, justice, and joy. We created a fresh new identity for AIxDESIGN that uses AI and machine learning models as the basis of the visual system.
The colorful shapes come from OpenImages v6, a popular object recognition ML training dataset. We used the generated contours as graphic material to generate playful compositions.
AIxDESIGN hosts events, runs community-led research projects, and publishes resources to democratize AI literacy and explore critical & creative interactions with AI taking an intersectionally feminist, decolonial, and pluralist approach. They came to us to upgrade their existing brand system, which had served them for several years. Even though it was fun and playful, it had too many elements, which made it hard to use at scale. We realized it was important to associate the visual language with the power of AI in a creative and playful way, emphasizing the mission of connecting designers in the AI space.
Based on these objectives, we wanted to create a new visual system that would build upon their existing brand language to emphasize the connection to AI and Machine Learning while keeping it humanistic, playful and fun.
Colors and Typography
The new identity is flexible and adaptable, designed for use within different mediums. We kept the AIxDESIGN core colors and expanded the color palette to emphasize the brand’s fluidity. The new palette features vibrant colors inspired by the world of computer arts as the primary colors, and muted colors as secondary or tertiary colors used for additional kinds of communications.
Maccabi Block (Michal Sahar, 2004, Hagilda type foundry) is a mono-linear typeface. The font is light and contemporary and suitable both for display sizes and for arranging short texts. The fresh look of the font comes from the large white spaces between the letters, as well as the excessive size of the punctuation marks. The base of the shapes is geometric while the details come from calligraphic characteristics breaking the rigidity of technology and pulling in the humanity.
The dynamic nature of the typeface perfectly encapsulates the ethos of AIxDESIGN as a brand, and the colors reflect the diverse range of voices and creative proclivities harnessing technology as part of their process.
Maccabi Block by Michal Sahar for Hagilda type foundry.
Logotype
We created the logotype as a flexible frame where the words AI and Design can appear horizontally next to each other or stack vertically on top of each other. The x becomes the primary symbol for the visual identity as it can stand on its own or be used as a connector when the two words are used together.
The System
We wanted to preserve the playfulness of the original identity but rethink the origin and purpose of the shapes by connecting them to AI technology. The colorful shapes are made by tracing the outlines of objects using object recognition models and converting them to abstracted SVG shapes. The technique is used to create a visual system that can be applied across a variety of mediums from digital to print while preserving a coherent visual language that can be recognized everywhere.
The layouts are carried by a rectangular 6x6 grid system that is simple to use but allows for more complex layouts using texts, images, backgrounds, etc. With so many stakeholders creating assets, the grid creates a sandbox for safe exploration without straying outside the brand system.
The grid can also be expanded
Layouts
The final layout system can be used for all types of assets including events, marketing, conferences, social media and more. All assets sport a consistent background that can be generated separately, as well as an image, text, or both. This system is providing a mix of flexibility and simplicity for a company that have to create many assets on a daily basis.
