Designing for safety in the crowded world of micro-mobility
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Brand Identity
Designer (Contract)
2019
Link is the smart, fun, safe way to navigate your city from Superpedestrian↗. From the physical construction of their scooters to their onboard intelligence, Link ensures their riders have the best ride possible. In 2019, Superpedestrian came to me in search of a brand identity to set Link, and their scooters, apart in the growing micro-mobility space.
Over a 2-month contract, I developed a brand identity positioning them as leaders in innovation and safety, delivered brand guidelines and gestural applications, and extended into key UI moments of their app↗.
Over a 2-month contract, I developed a brand identity positioning them as leaders in innovation and safety, delivered brand guidelines and gestural applications, and extended into key UI moments of their app↗.
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Positioning & alignment
At the start of the contract, I gave the Superpedestrian team homework to fill out a brand exercise to create alignment on the what, how, and why of their new brand: Link.
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Design directions
With an alignment on positioning, audience, and values, I began research, sketching, and designing explorations. I wanted to create an identity that secured Link among the transportation of the future: safe, clean, and reliable, with an innovative and rebelious spirit to stand out in a saturated market.
Direction 01
Mobility
My first direction was inspired by my morning commute to work, and the (frankly too few) bike lanes around NYC.
Direction 02
Grids
The second direction was inspired by the modern, dense grid structure of big cities around the world.
Direction 03
Lines
The third direction takes design inspiration from the dynamic, flowing geometry of Massimo Vignelli’s original MTA subway maps.
Direction 04
Ecopragmatism
The final direction presented was a bit of a departure — but a fun one — inspired by the environmental counter-culture of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog.
Directions 1–4
Recap
With four distinct directions presented, it was time to pick a lane and begin fleshing out the rest of the brand identity.
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Type refinement
& adding color
The team resonated with the retro-futurism of Direction 03 — Lines. It ticked their boxes from the alignment and positioning exercises: rebelous, innovative, and modern.
The next step was to visually refine the wordmark, select complementary typefaces, and develop an approach to color that would keep Link visually distinct in a saturated market.
The next step was to visually refine the wordmark, select complementary typefaces, and develop an approach to color that would keep Link visually distinct in a saturated market.
Color
Now that Link had an ownable wordmark, they needed an ownable color. I challenged the team that claimed to be building the “safest scooter” to go one step further: own safety.
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Brand identity guidelines
The final deliverable was a brand identity guideline outlining the brand positioning, core visual language, and gestural applications.
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Coming to a sidewalk near you
Link is now available across the United States and growing their network of e-scooters globally. They have recently released an even bolder version 2 of their scooter and extended the visual system into parent company Superpedestrian’s online presence as well.
Pictures and renders below owned by Superpedestrian and shown for branding application only.
Pictures and renders below owned by Superpedestrian and shown for branding application only.
Project credits
→ Design: Piet Aukeman
→ Superpedestrian Design Lead: Jeff Gerlach
→ Superpedestrian Design Lead: Jeff Gerlach