Exploring Identity Through Line, Shape, & Composition

This book collects an exploration of compositions derived from Addepar’s logo. This method of visual research embraces Armin Hofmann's philosophy that strong emotional and formal design is created through a cycle of making and reflecting. 

The examples in Addepar Form Studies are organized to illustrate our process and to demonstrate the evolving nuances at play in our drawings. We discuss the construction of the project – how we approached the definition of parameters, independent sketching, group critique, and decision making. The end result simultaneously serves as a library of visual concepts for the brand identity and a reference for design process and methods accessible to designers and non-designers alike.

Work & Design
Craig Gephart
Nick D'Amico
Ryan Smith

Copy Editing
Patricia Gael

Foreword
Don Adleta

Freestyle: Maximize Sport and Life Performance with Four Basic Movements is the first publication by movement expert and coach Carl Paoli and co-author Anthony Sherbondy. The book outlines the basics of human movement in approachable and fundamental ways while simultaneously providing tools for expressing movement in the reader's own unique style.  

Over the course of a year, co-designer Nick D'Amico and I worked closely with the authors to structure and design the publication front to back and develop the freestyle brand. Working as a unit allowed us to architect the content as it developed with many iterations -- design adapted to the writing and the writing adapted to possibilities of design with influences working in tandem, allowing ideas to flourish. This ultimately resulted in a great working relationship and a cohesive final product, closely knitted to Carl and Anthony's original vision.

Major challenges included the display of movement in print, sequential instruction, overall rhythm and tone, illustrating movement philosophy, organizing content, the general grid and type structures,  and creating an atmosphere that accurately blended Carl's deep knowledge base with his energy, lifestyle, and convictions that movement should be freely expressed.

"No matter what sport or movements define the physical aspects of your lifestyle, whether its lifting a barbell, running, traveling the world, or simply getting out of bed pain free, your ability to skillfully move your body can have a dramatic impact on the quality of your life." – Carl Paoli

Addepar is reimagining the role of technology in one of the world’s largest industries – finance. Situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, the company builds a platform to clarify complex investment portfolios.

Addepar’s mark references a classic understanding of growth – up and to the right. The identity is a blend of high-touch finance and contemporary technology. We focused on modern design principles to speak of premium, pioneering, and precise brand qualities. We communicate clarity and intregrity with refined typography, a minimal color palette, and effective use of white space. Compositional studies derived directly from the logo’s elements provided dynamic graphic treatments wherever needed.

Designing as an in-house design team allowed us to develop and refine the identity system over time. We hardened the design principles through numerous challenges of content, medium, and audience. We had the freedom to continue exploring and maturing the identity alongside the fast-growing company.

Any time you ask Addepar CEO Eric Poirier how he’s doing you’ll get a quick smile and reply ‘livin the dream.’ This is usually paired with a fist-bump. After picking up on his joyous mannerisms, our design team decided to celebrate by making him a handlettered print using the motto as the theme.

We screenprinted an edition of 24 to hand out to other coworkers and friends who too can appreciate his lovely quirks. We used a blend-pull of fluorescent orange and pink inks that imitate Eric’s energy as well as the West Coast sunsets we’re lucky enough to catch so frequently from our Bay Area office. We also made a small edition (5) on a dark gray paper at the same size.

Addepar is a technology company. Modeling ourselves this way has ingrained an enthusiasm within our company and culture summarized by one lovely, five-letter word: BUILD. It is simple, it is exciting, and it echoes our mission to create a world-class platform for wealth management. Addepar is constantly looking for people who share its passion, energy, and excitement to create and problem solve for some of the world's most difficult problems. So, as shown below, we launched the second consecutive college recruiting campaign embodied with this spirit.

During our campaign, we spoke with some of the most brilliant and ambitious young minds in the country. But, we know there are many more out there. If these ideas resonate with you, please visit our careers site so we can get to know you better.

The Addepar Employee Guide highlights events, history and culture. With a smorgasbord of recycled illustrations paired with plenty of photos, it brings Addepar's story to life. It also provides an opportunity for new hires and guests to accustom themselves to the team. It includes an in-depth look at the mission and vision through Joe Lonsdale's personal anecdotes and a walkthrough of the foundations Addepar was built on. For the old school guys and gals, it's a refreshing glance at the past few years. Addepar's story, like every story, is unique. So, if you find yourself wandering around the office be sure to flip through one and let us know what you think! 

Designing a typeface requires an extremely sophisticated attention to detail. The challenge lies in finding a perfect balance of invisibility and inventiveness; staying conscious of traditional forms and the characteristics that make them legible, while at the same time sprinkling in unique characteristics that bring the face to life. In this push/pull process while creating Rubio, my intention was for the typeface's subtle, unique touches to personify my ancestry and myself. The name itself, Rubio, was derived from my grandfather's surname. So like my grandfather, it is hardworking, direct, and strong, while charming and refined. In generating the letterforms I aimed to omit decorative flare and use delicate touches of warmth to give a hint of vibrance to an otherwise optically gray texture. The bracketed slab-serif's forms come to life when shown in display and reduce sturdily at smaller sizes. 

The process for creating Rubio was conducted in phases beginning with 2 inch hand-drawn renderings of the lowercase “n”. Although it is a simple glyph, this letterform reveals a great deal of information that is valuable in the design of the rest of the typeface; including a stem, a serif, a thick/thin curve, and the x-height. In the first phase of the renderings we used the 2 pencil method. Later we would hand paint these with black and white (negative / positive) latex paint and a round brush to get a feel for the contours and overall space and shape of the letterform. Eventually, we would scale these to 3 inches forcing the mind as well as the hand to relearn and reconsider the contours and shapes. After successfully translating the letterform to 3 inches and refining it, we moved on to a new letter with new traits, moving into categories as follows:

1. n m u h
2. o c q p d b
3. e a s g
4. r i j t l f
5. v w z x y k

The Neighborhood Series provides a closer look into the diverse districts of San Francisco, where large hills and multicolored houses collide with skyscrapers and wide, windy beaches. These photographs are the result of my obsession to explore and share the charm of the city I am blessed to call home.