- Client Name: Vega Protocol, a company that enables you to trade and create derivatives on a fully decentralised network
- Agency: Big Fan
- Typeface Name: Alpha Lyrae
The Genesis of Vega Protocol’s Brand Transformation
Client Overview: Vega Protocol aims to revolutionize the world of financial derivatives by creating a fully decentralized network where people and businesses have unfettered access. As a trailblazing force in the DeFi space, Vega aims to be open-source and community-driven. With ambitions to enable a wide range of liquid derivatives markets, Vega faces stiff competition from names like Injective Protocol, Serum, and DerivaDEX.
Target Audience: Vega’s target audience ranges from professionals to those who’ve been previously shut out of the derivatives market, all sharing the desire for a more equitable financial system. Why a Custom Typeface? In line with their ethos of open-source and community-driven initiatives, Vega Protocol aimed to own a custom typeface. The move was not just an aesthetic decision but a strategic one. The project had two-fold objectives: to subtly refresh the existing brand elements and to contribute this typeface back to the community as an open-source asset.
Meeting the Dual Objectives of Brand Consistency and Community Engagement
Design Brief
Vega Protocol aspired to own a Helvetica-inspired sans-serif typeface, with the additional requirement for it to morph into a pixelated version. This pixelated version aimed to symbolize Vega’s cutting-edge, disruptive ethos. Special characters tailored to the crypto and financial world were also requested, pushing the boundaries of what a typical typeface includes.
Competitive Landscape
Competition in the DeFi space is cutthroat. Vega’s competitors like Injective Protocol and Serum are built on layer-2 solutions and are less flexible. Vega wanted to differentiate itself by being fully decentralized and open-source, making it crucial for their typeface to reflect these values.
Crafting Alpha Lyrae, a Typeface as Rebellious as it is Reliable
Design Approach: We have presented two main creative directions for the Sans serif font
- Edginess: A style capturing Vega’s disruptive, cutting-edge ethos, emphasizing angularity and openness.
- Directness: A style highlighting Vega’s straightforward, community-driven mission, focusing on simplicity and readability.
The client opted for the “Edginess” approach, aligning it perfectly with their disruptive attitude towards the financial systems of old.
Additional Features
Our team introduced dynamic capabilities into the font. Stylistic pixel alternates were programmed to replace specific glyphs, allowing for rich, dynamic text compositions. The font was designed to work seamlessly across print, web, and Adobe software.
Community Engagement
Living true to their community-driven ethos, Vega Protocol engaged their Discord community in a naming competition. The chosen name was Alpha Lyrae, after Vega’s astronomical namesake, reflecting both its aspirations and its grounding in community input.
Navigating Challenges: From Design Iterations to Technical Features
Unique Design Forms
The first challenge was balancing the dual objectives of brand consistency and the pixelated variant. This was achieved through detailed design iterations and feedback loops with both the client and Fontfabric’s design team.
Font Programming
The second major hurdle was to program all stylistic alternates to achieve rhythmic text appearance. A deep dive into Open Type features and linguistic data ensured that the font reflected Vega Protocol’s ethos and functioned automatically across various platforms.
The Typeface that Transformed Vega Protocol
The final product, Alpha Lyrae, stands as a testament to Vega’s disruptive and community-driven approach. The client heavily relies on the typeface as a pillar of their visual identity, and it serves its multifaceted purpose admirably.
Hear It from Vega
“One of the biggest challenges was that we were asking for a solution that didn’t feel too far removed from what the brand currently used, but Fontfabric were able to bring ideas that allowed us to create something truly ownable, yet transition from what came before perfectly.“
“We now have an amazing OPEN SOURCE typeface that the world can enjoy. The technical aspects to it also were truly outside-the-box thinking, perfectly tailored to what we wanted the font to do.“
David Robinson
Creative Director – Big.fan/VEGA Protocol
Alpha Lyrae’s Transformative Impact on the Vega Brand
Alpha Lyrae is not just a typeface; it’s a manifestation of Vega Protocol’s vision to be a leader in the DeFi space and a resource for its community. It’s an exemplar of how design can play a pivotal role in communicating a brand’s mission and vision. As Vega Protocol moves forward, Alpha Lyrae will continue to be a significant part of its journey, echoing its ethos of fairness, community engagement, and revolutionary thinking in every character.
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