Filecoin Virtual Machine Case Study
client
Protocol Labs
timeframe
3 Weeks
Brand Identity
Modular Illustrations System
Developers Merch
Developer Collateral
Problem
FVM brought programmable smart contracts (actors) to the Filecoin network. The big challenge was taking a fairly complex technical system and making it something that was visually clear and recognisable, as well as providing the marketing and engineering teams with a flexible toolkit for the creation of content over the long term.
Solution
I worked very closely with the core FVM engineering team to design a brand identity that was essentially based on interlocking, assembleable blocks. That was the metaphor for smart contract composability both in the literal and the symbolic sense. Beyond the basic guidelines we established we also produced a large suite of branded illustrations and graphics which are now used across the blogs, the ecosystem announcements and all our digital media.
Story & Execution • The '90s 'Incredible Machines' T-shirt: I made a custom illustration in the style of the classic '90s game The Incredible Machine as a way of both surprising and thanking the core FVM builders. It's a reference to the same kind of playful complexity that underpins smart contract design. • The FVM Hawaiian Shirt: Designed an original Hawaiian shirt with a unique pattern as part of the core brand pack. • Community impact: Both pieces rapidly became cult classics and are now the most requested and worn items of apparel in both Protocol Labs and the wider Filecoin community.
