D/XYZ (PRONOUNCED DESTINY)
Didn’t go to business school? Neither did I. 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 new private technology companies. While an incredibly cool advancement in the investing scene, the core concepts that allow for this financial revolution can often feel stuffy, overcomplicated, and boring. When asked to make an illustration to encapsulate the energy of a Unicorn Company, a core component in D/XYZ’s success, I wondered:
How can I merge simplicity and bold styling to make the unicorn an approachable and exciting concept to the average, everyday investor?
TEAM:
Creative Director: Vincent Higgins
Art Director and Illustrator: Laura Angle
ROLE:
Freelance Illustration
- Concept Exploration
- Photo Illustration
SO WHAT IS A UNICORN COMPANY EXACTLY
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.