ID—C collaborate with Letters From Sweden for Doconomy’s powerful identity and custom typeface

Swedish design duo Niklas Rosén and Gustav Nordebrink, as part of their practice Independent Designers Collective (ID—C), have worked with tech start-up Doconomy to craft a systematic identity. The result allows the company to clearly continue their function as intended – creating tools to help consumers and brands understand the impact of climate change.

Mirroring the sincerity and seriousness of Doconomy’s intentions, the subsequent visual language is sharp and precise, leaving little to abstract interpretation, instead favouring the striking security of slick, Swiss-like design. “In collaboration with Doconomy’s internal team,” Rosén and Nordebrink tell us, “we created the Doconomy symbol as part of our exploration,” discussing the symbolic logomark as the leading visual element of the brand. “Our aim was to establish a strong and sophisticated mark within a large and modular design system,” they continue, creating with it an efficient, scalable system that responds broadly to its diverse audience. “The symbol prominently features the company’s initials,” the duo add, “emphasising its commitment to empowering changemakers with the tools to drive positive change.”

This sense of empowerment that traverses the brand’s visual landscape is emboldened through ID—C’s use of colour – the decisions behind which came practically from the duo’s creative process. “The brand identity and digital design system were developed concurrently,” they explain, with each space having its own distinct requirements and objectives. “While maintaining a black and white aesthetic at its core,” Rosén and Nordebrink suggest, “we recognised the significance of colours in presenting data” – something crucial to Doconomy and its purpose. “To bridge the gap between branding and the digital design system,” they continue, “we meticulously curated an extensive colour library inspired by natural elements,” covering a comprehensive, pragmatic range of hues. “Although developing this colour palette was arduous,” they add, “we are delighted with its seamless functionality across all contexts,” sitting effortlessly in support of Doconomy’s sophisticated typographic output. 

“Typography plays a crucial role in expressing a brand’s identity across various contexts,” Rosén and Nordebrink remark, expressing typography’s role as the unifying factor. “This is especially true for precision-driven companies like Doconomy, where functional expression takes precedence over decorative elements,” they suggest, recognising the importance of “incorporating small distinctive features” across the visual language to culminate in firmly established, optimised and notably distinct “design-DNA.” To achieve this, ID—C collaborated with Stockholm-based type foundry Letters From Sweden to craft a bespoke typeface for Doconomy, resulting in a striking, unashamedly neutral sans serif.

“Enter Doconomy Sans, a typeface with unique characteristics and an exclusive set of ligatures that visually represent carbon dioxide and water emissions,” Rosén and Nordebrink note, drawing inspiration from facts and figures intrinsic to Doconomy’s progressive vision. “Our partnership aimed to create a timeless design that serves as a foundational element in all of Doconomy’s communications,” a feat the collaboration is sure to have succeeded in.

ID—C

Doconomy