outliers
Visual Identity, Brand Strategy and Digital Design for Web3 VC OUTLIERS That Represents the Future of Investing in Communities.
Narrative and Creative Direction - Grayson Stallings & Valentin Mellstrom
“Connecting projects, developers and researchers within the Web3 space. Turning futuristic escapism into a productive endeavor.”
As new industries and metaverses appear and disappears upon blockchain built Web3 frontiers, the realization that not only market readiness is what will make or break most of the DAOs, but also the ability to attract, form, maintain and grow communities.
As big tech moves slowly into the future, the greatest source to identify new opportunities comes from communities of outliers already existing, thriving and building future realities. These outliers are in need of resources and in return provide science backed proof-of-vision, turning current streams into future rivers.
The OUTLIERS VC brand is transforming science fiction into scientific facts through research, community and investment. They are for the “dot inventors, dot connectors and dot scalers'' looking to disrupt and be part of something greater than ourselves. OUTLIERS VC is a community shaping the future through a collective intelligence based on trust-less consensus, exploration and imagination.
The only next step is to venture into crafting a narrative that will give us the vision for not only the brand but also the brand identity.
Upon synthesis of the above information from the OUTLIERS VC founder and mutual enjoyment of science fiction, a spark was immediately ignited and the vision of not only a brand for the future but also a brand identity that is shaped through time was awakened. Three statements drove the discovery phase of the project:
“Science fiction imagineered in reality.”
“Decentralized autonomous organizations that already exist.”
“Swarm intelligence that cannot be grasped.”
These statements then drove the discovery phase into looking at Outliers, Sci-Fi, Marks and Organisms with “What If” statements that continued to drive the vision.
What does this mean? imagine…
The Mark - Outliers is a mysterious mark that connects with a greater language system that evolves with each new incubation, death and development. This creates a cryptic mystery with many seekers grasping for meaning and many deniers scoffing and leaving the outliers alone.
What if we… create an evolving, cryptic mark that gives birth to more evolving, cryptic marks?
The Organism - Outliers continue to evolve, give birth and die and so does the visual representation as a reference point throughout the year, month and maybe even day and hour. This aligns with the true soul of the outlier that is not constrained by a system that is not adapting and envisioning the future.
What if we… create an intelligence that learns, ideates and evolves from the elements given to it?
The Flow - The concept of outliers is not something chiseled in stone, it is not a metal sign on the side of the building and it isn’t in a portfolio as a trophy. Instead it is something that is in constant flow, almost within grasp but moving towards the next experience and future.
What if we… create a community that identifies with the future outside of individual impulses.
The Narrative - From the webs an intelligence emerges with elongated arms stretching between reality and possibility. Before it is grasped it has moved to the next possibility to cultivate and inject with cryptic mysticism. With each possibility a community grows and flows outside the realms of human constraint, barrier and administration.
But then… How does the brand identity capture the above narratives while also balancing the realities of OUTLIERS VC?
OUTLIERS VC is not in the business of making products and leaving their stamp on the world. Instead it is about three points that are fundamental to the brand, internal processes and growth strategies.
Who We Are? | The Brain “Invents” | Learning From the Science in the Past
We identify, connect and unlock the potential of outliers through research-driven approaches to invent in science, technology & innovation.
How We Are Different? | The Heart “Connects” | Living in the Community Now
We connect & engage in communities that are charting the future — making science fiction into scientific fact.
Why We Are Doing This? | The Hand “Scales” | Building the Innovation for the Future
We believe in the long-term vision of building a future beyond ourselves — scale innovations beyond our perspective.
Moving forward, these three points became fundamental in how the brand defines itself and how the brand identity is visualized. Whatever happens in the future, no matter the visual changes and updates, these three points will always give direction to the outliers community and attract the next outlier.
VISUAL IDENTITY | USER JOURNEY & DESIGN LANGUAGES
How Do We Give Identity to Outliers? - APPROACH-ABLE - “The Logotype” - Professional Yet Mysterious
How Can You Be A DAO yet Follow a Brand Guideline? - MYSTER-IOUS - “The Mark” - A Flexible Element for Play
But What Do You Really Do? - TRANS-FORMATIVE - “The Elements” - Mysterious Data in Constant Flex
VISUAL IDENTITY | THE SYNAPSE CONCEPT
Grid - Connect - Strengthen - Attract
VISUAL IDENTITY | DNA
Scalable - Systematic - Unique - Adaptable - Simple
Outliers are the disruptive misfits in seek of connectors and collaborators that can give direction into the unknown. With this in mind a visual identity was experimented with that is in constant flex, adaptive in situations and unique in execution. The design language utilizes the simplicity of points, geometric flex of the triangle, organic shapes flowing between the points, and chaotic data lines left for research that is larger than life and delicate at the same time.
The future is productive escapism that utilizes market urges and cycles it into sustainable cultures, enabling communities to grow.
This is the playground of the brand as it supports, inspires and creates short form content, articles and experiments. Being at the forefronts of scientific data while equally honoring the synaptic forces of imagined science in fiction. Therefore, building the brand perception by developing culture in tune with a perceived and verified morphic resonance. This enables cultures and communities to fill up the phantom limbs and social fields of the future with equanimical excitement.
The first “future art” experiment created was the short form content at the top of this article. The journey goes from mystery to connection, synapses creation to chaos opportunity. The visual direction is biological and alien at the same time, tapping into sci-fi inspirations and avoiding being dated. This is just the first step in short form creating that OUTLIERS VC will enlist to continue building brand awareness, storytelling in experiences and building communities that are drawn in by the mystic mark and the vision of this brand.
This idea of future art plus an ever-evolving brand identity gives OUTLIERS VC the ability to visually move into the ever changing landscapes of web3. The mystic mark is a vision beacon to what is core to the brand while never being frozen in form and shape which is the embodiment of OUTLIERS VC.