dache.ch

Directed Edge is an online recommendations engine developed by Scott Wheeler and his colleagues out of Berlin and Silicon Valley. The Directed Edge team approached me to re-brand their business identity. As I find re-branding an interesting topic in terms of the difference a new branding can make to a company, I would like to share the design process with you, as a point of interest.

The Creative Brief
Directed Edge is a web-based company which gathers statistical data such as purchase and click histories and offers recommendations to its users. If you are interested in a particular product, you are able to see the popularity rating and also, similar to Amazon, receive a recommendation on other products which may be of interest, based on your current selection. The company was established previously with a temporary branding solution and so they felt it was time to have a more permanent identity to suit their business.

Drafting and Development

The main point that the team wanted to pick up on was the appeal which needed to be given to their audience, which consists mainly of technical-minded people therefore, after some research, I found that ‘Directed Edge’ is actually a mathematical term used in Graph Theory and, due to their statistical background, the team were interested in pursuing this idea for the re-branding.

Visual inspiration and sketch process
‘Directed Edge’ diagram used in mathematics. This was the initial and principal inspiration for this project and I think that the simple lines lend themselves well to the target audience.

Selection of sketches to communicate the ‘directed edge’ element. Some sketches also hinted at a monogram of ‘D’ and ‘E’ but this was discarded early on as it would complicate the look.

The final sketch was the idea which interested the client most and which I developed further.

Alternative concepts presented after transferring from sketching to software.

Logo development
Once the basic concept for the symbol of the re-brand had been decided upon, I wanted to create a unique typeface to suit the brand and to keep in line with the mathematical theme. The custom typography is a mono-linear sans-serif which was originally hand drawn. Below are a few different development phases of the lettering and symbol.

Corporate typeface
As a suggestion of a font for the Directed Edge team to use in their correspondence and publications, I chose the FF DIN, as shown below, to complement the custom typography in the re-brand logo.
logo

Color scheme

Final solution
The finished re-brand manages to be approachable yet professional and is well in keeping with the already established audience. The creation of the custom font also stands them apart from their competitors, in a subtle way. The symbol itself shows an ongoing loop of communication which relates to the service that the company offer.

Client Testimonial
‘Thanks David—it’s been great working with you.  I really appreciate your professionalism and creativity—and for putting in more work than you bargained for. We’re glad to have worked with you.‘ - Scott Wheeler, co-founder of Directed Edge.

This logo is already in use on correspondence and on their website. My thanks to the Directed Edge team and I wish them every success in the future.

As always, any constructive criticism and comments from readers is valued so please feel free to offer any thoughts you may have on this design and the article.