Previse’s distinctive yellow branding needed more presence. The original logo — built around highlighting “is” in the company name — was creative but receded when appearing alongside other startups and corporates. With sub-brands like InstantPay launching, we also needed a flexible system that could extend consistently. I evolved the identity to increase standout while preserving the brand’s bold, innovative character.
Previse, founded in 2017, built their identity around a signature yellow and a clever executional idea: highlighting “is” in the company name. After two years in the market, the logo needed more presence in competitive contexts and a consistent approach to the emerging product family.
The original logo used Montserrat — a solid choice, but ubiquitous among startups. More critically, the light weight of typeface, widely spaced lettering, and inconsistent icon usage (sometimes “is”, sometimes “p”) meant Previse “shrunk back” or disappeared when seen alongside other brands. The brief: evolve the identity to increase standout while staying recognisable as Previse.
With a clear problem defined, I used Crazy 8s to explore directions quickly — working through concepts in timed sketches to avoid premature commitment. Options ranged from subtle refinements to more dramatic departures, all tested against the need for sub-brand flexibility.
The recommended direction standardised on the letter “p” in a yellow squircle, making it a more prominent element in the system. Swapping Montserrat for Soho Gothic gave the letterforms more character and weight. Manual kerning and tighter tracking ensured the letterforms enhanced the bolder font weight to give the wordmark more presence while maintaining legibility.
The result: a logo that holds its own in competitive contexts while extending cleanly to product names.
The evolved identity has been in use since 2019, adapting through multiple product launches and refinements based on real-world application. A good logo system isn’t just about the initial design — it’s about building something robust enough to evolve with the business.
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