How&How’s strategic identity for Veriff conveys the purpose-driven ethos of transparency and trust

From Estonia’s thriving tech scene comes Veriff; a highly automated verification software company on a mission to solve the expensive problem of online identity fraud. Led by visionary CEO Kaarel Kotkas, their ultimate goal is to bring down the cost of digital ID verification so that it can be used beyond fintech applications and create safer online spaces for vulnerable people and wider communities. Despite excellent growth, their brand image and consumer touchpoints were in need of a refresh. London, Lisbon and LA-based studio How&How were therefore invited to devise a brand strategy and identity that would both define and communicate Veriff’s mission whilst also expressing their purpose-driven mindset.

Drawing inspiration from guilloché security patterns and iridescent holograms, the team developed a visual language characterised by warped, weaving textures and a dramatic high-contrast colour palette. This is unified by the brand’s verified ‘tick’ icon (which also doubles as a ‘v’), while the confident typographic direction provides support. According to Co-founder & Creative Director Cat How, the wordmark is set in lowercase to emphasise the friendly, accessible feel of the company. “If we had capitalised the ‘V,’ it would have competed with the tick icon and it just didn’t work,” she adds. With a “strong, manifesto feel,” How explains that Klim Type Foundry’s National 2 was the perfect choice as Veriff’s headline typeface. “We also used Pangram Sans by Pangram Pangram,” she continues, “because it felt friendly and approachable, and softened the strong – perhaps a bit shouty – feel of National 2.” 

For their modular, inclusive illustration system, the team called upon regular collaborator Mike Orodan to create a diverse and bespoke library of illustrations. “The idea behind the illustrations was to highlight good and bad, anonymity and being verified,” How tells us, describing the process. “We had to work out a system which showed people in various states of being verified – and the difference between ‘good or bad actors.’ Namely, people who are being deceptive and trying to be anonymous online for nefarious reasons, and genuine characters,” she concludes.

How&How

Veriff