Nitrogen arrived with foundational verbal elements like the mission already in place. They had core values that espoused open communication, a focus on doing a few things really well, and being maniacal about delighting customers.

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They knew who they were, where they were headed, and how they were different. And boy were they. Nitrogen believed that traditional investing was broken, so they developed a way to remove bias in capturing individual risk by analyzing at the security level — something no other competitor does. It’s a much more technical and data-intensive way to measure risk, and for their investment-advisor customers, it meant they could assess risk tolerance quantitatively, then use that data to win their new clients, meet expectations, and quantify suitability. Nitrogen was positioned to be best-in-breed when it came to capturing risk tolerance. They also had the best product experience going in the space.

Nitrogen had to strengthen their positioning and boldly claim their place as the only pure software company to remove bias in data selection with rigorous technical and data-intensive methods. They had to showcase the brand’s value and give it a clear identity.

Together, we developed three brand attributes:

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• Scholarly – advisor-supporters who are thorough, accurate, and wise

• Fearless – unafraid to do new things that break rigid corporate structures

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• Energetic – rejecters of the status quo and engineers of delight

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The Fearless Professor archetype reflects these qualities in persona form. Nitrogen is the wise and approachable mentor-scientist who, through rigor and research, helps others grow.

The use of the hexagon shape in the Nitrogen logomark is a clever nod to the company's origins with Riskalyze. The hexagon is a strong and versatile shape that can be used to create a range of different designs, from regular and symmetrical patterns to more complex and organic shapes.

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This mark was inspired by fractals, an ever-expanding geometry with an ever-unfolding scale, despite constraints. Fractals are known for their ability to generate complex and intricate patterns with a high level of detail. By using fractal geometry, the Nitrogen logomark can convey a sense of sophistication and technical expertise, while also expressing the idea of collaboration and partnership.

Nitrogen’s primary color palette is Fearless Purple, Night Sky, and Paper. These colors make the brand attributes visible and — especially when paired with the brand’s primary font, Nib — give off an erudite-but-accessible feeling.

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A rich graphic library rounds out Nitrogen’s visual language, including tick accents, force-multiplier elements, textural photography, people-focused photography, and collage. These treatments capture the story of growth as well as Nitrogen’s focus on providing accurate, detailed, and precise measurements, guidance, and analysis.

Our strategic and visual work on the Nitrogen brand came alive in UI design. For this, Focus Lab redesigned the homepage and provided Nitrogen with a UI kit. We explored homepage flow and storytelling, as well as messaging, layout, color application, type hierarchy, visual language, and navigation.

We rounded out our time with Nitrogen in branding their Fearless Investing Summit, where wealth technology, investing innovation, and cutting-edge financial strategies created for financial advisors intersect. Nitrogen’s mission, purpose, and ethos are on full display in the messaging and design of the Summit’s landing page.