Polybion
Brand identity
Index
Introduction
Polybion is the next gen biomaterials company that brings performance and possibility to 21st century designers and materials engineers.
This document has been developed to give definition to the Polybion brand. Here, you’ll find the visual elements and brand guidelines that make Polybion unique. When followed with consistency, they ensure that every decision made on behalf of the brand tells a clear, unified story.
The brand’s main audience consists of forward thinking designers and materials engineers in top fashion, sports and automotive firms. While equally driven by sustainability and performance considerations, the former also have a keen eye for stories and the latter for practical considerations.
Logotype
Our logotype embodies what Polybion stands for: the balance between elegance and science. It utilizes separate parts that together create an exciting vision of the possibilities of what we can do with the materials that we create. It is an important brand signifier and must be used with care. Always follow the guidelines included here when using our logotype.
Symbol
Our symbol signifies the sum of parts that creates a north star for the future of biomaterials. It can be used where the logotype would have to fall below the minimum size – like a favicon, social media icon or other collateral. It represents our bigger star in our constellation of symbols.
Product Logos
Our logotype embodies what Polybion stands for: the balance between elegance and science. It utilizes separate parts that together create an exciting vision of the possibilities of what we can do with the materials that we create. It is an important brand signifier and must be used with care
Typography
A bold, expressive headline san serif is contrasted by a hard-working, neutral sans serif for a distinctive look with enough range to carry the varied communication needs of the brand. The system was crafted for flexibility—we’re able to mix fully editorial pages with utilitarian systems without any problems.
Platform Typeface
Our primary typeface is Platform. It is used for top level brand messaging, like headlines and titles or whenever we want to crate bigger impact and expression for the brand.
Platform is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed by Berton Hasebe and released through Commercial Type in 2010. Its design is fairly distinctive for the geometric sans genre with its exaggerated x-height.
Light
Regular
ABCDEFGHIJKLMN
OPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmn
opqrstuvwxyz
1234567890
Biology is the
most advanced manufacturing technology on
the planet.
We grow high-performance
& circular carbon sourced bio
assembled textiles.
The next industrial revolution comes from nature.
Inter
For body copy, section titles, and call-to-actions we use Inter.
This typeface works great for bigger blocks of copy and functions as the more technical and informative voice for the brand.
Inter is an open-source sans-serif typeface designed by Swedish designer/programmer Rasmus Andersson. It was designed to work well on screens as a UI font and features a large x-height. The family is available in nine weights with matching italics, as well as a variable font version.
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
12 34 56 78 90
Type Usage
Our typographic hierarchy is simple and provides clarity to all messaging and communications. Our main objective is to maintain legibility at a range of sizes.
Headline copy is always set in sentence case in Platform Light. Secondary headlines, headings and subheadings should be set in Inter Medium, also in sentence case. Body copy should be set in Inter Regular, while buttons and links should use Inter Regular in all caps.
Colors
Light Gray
Burgandy
Brown
Orange
Red
Black
Color Usage
The color palette is a core component of Polybion's identity
and it plays a vital role in the system. It is warm and vibrant, creating a sense of personality and excitement for the brand.
The main colors are Light Gray, Burgandy, Brown, Orange, Red and Black. Black (and Light Gray on darker backgrounds) should be used as the main text and information color. All colors can be used as blackgrounds, with the exception of Black.
See below some additional color combinations to be used only when a more energetic graphic expression is needed.
Tone of Voice
BRAND IDEA
The future is chingón
BRAND POSITIONING
The next gen biomaterials company that brings performance and possibility to 21st century designers.
BRAND VISION
To become the world’s most trusted source for premium, next generation biomaterials.
BRAND ESSENCE
Performance. Circularity. Optimism.
BRAND AUDIENCE
Forward-thinking designers and materials engineers in fashion, sports, and automotive industries.
BRAND TONE
Informed. Intentional. Optimistic.
BRAND PERSONALITY
Agreeable, Open, Conscientious.
BRAND PERSONA
Resourceful visionary.
CHINGÓN
Understood as a synthesis of the following qualities: remarkable by its actions, not its words; resourceful; unusual; ballsy; ingenious; young; un-silicon valley; unpretentious; collaborative; circular; biology-based; relentless; defiant; extraordinary; full of opportunities yet understated; of México.
“equipo que se impone por su ingenio y es admirado por ello entre quienes defienden sus mismos valores”.
– Oxford Lexico
BRAND TONE
How we talk
How do we breathe life into a brand through language? A strong verbal identity is necessary to refine our point of view and express it to the world. Through a clear, consistent tone of voice, we convey who we are and what we value.
Like Polybion itself, tone of voice is part art and part science. We’ve chosen three descriptive words to help guide the development of branded communication and ensure we resonate with our audience:
Informed. Intentional. Optimistic.
INFORMED
We speak in a way that demonstrates knowledge and inspires trust. We are an authority without sounding authoritative.
Intelligent
Dialed in
Experienced
Reliable
Enlightened
INTENTIONAL
We do more with less, and say more with less. We chose our words carefully and purposefully. We don’t clutter our messages with confusing jargon or pointless pretension.
Deliberate
Plainspoken
Conscious
Precise
Genuine
OPTIMISTIC
We impart an idealistic attitude grounded in action. Our passion drives us, but we temper promise with pragmatics.
Hopeful
Confident
Ambitious
Enthusiastic
Dynamic
BRAND PERSONA
Who we are
It can be helpful when developing key messaging to think of the brand as a person. The Polybion persona is wildly inventive yet measured, with an ingenuity born of limitations. We recognize present challenges but reframe them as future opportunities. We approach our mission with empathy, integrity, and expertise.
Polybion is the resourceful visionary.
Resourceful: capable of doing more with less; able to adapt and act effectively; finding clever solutions
Visionary: creative; prescient; having unusual foresight and imagination
MESSAGING BY CHANNEL
Tone of voice cadence may vary slightly by platform, with one aspect amplified over the others.
Web site: longer form, artful language, a deeper dive into science and technology (informed) Ex: By manufacturing with the building blocks of life and circularizing supply chains, we produce a superior material while prioritizing our planet.
Social media: succinct, attention-grabbing copy piques interest to learn more (intentional) Ex: Revolutionary biomaterials for forward thinkers
Internal comms: inspirational tagline and subhead for consistent branding (optimistic) Ex: Performance meets possibility
COPY STYLE GUIDELINES
These rules should be followed for all written communication across channels to preserve the premium positioning of the brand.
1. Practice word economy for the strongest impact. If you can say it in a simpler, shorter way, always do so.
2. Write in the active voice over the passive whenever possible. (“Nature inspires us” vs “We are inspired by nature”)
3. Avoid puns, slang, cliches, overused figures of speech, and technical jargon.
4. Do not write in all capital letters in body copy.
5. Never use exclamation points or emojis.
Tone of Voice Examples
TAGLINE
A cellular innovation. A civilizational impact.
From linear to circular
From leftover to constructive
From leather to Celium®
BODY COPY
Using cutting-edge technology modeled on nature’s own design, Polybion creates premium, high-performance biomaterials from food waste.
Due to its biological nature, each piece of Celium® is unique and distinct as a fingerprint, lending it the hallmark of luxury.
Photography
Our photography is elegant and warm. It tells the story of the process behind making our materials, always in an elavated way.
The setting is usually in a studio, for controlled lighting and compositions. The light should highlight the texture of objects and our materials.
Compositions should aim to be simble, but iconic.
Blocks
As a way to organize content and also create moments for color expressions throughout the layouts, we created a system of blocks that can hold color, type and photographs.
To make this platform more ownable for the brand, we used chamfered corners on the edges. We can use the system side by side to divide complex content in a more approachable way or we can also use it as a way to layer content, as it's used on the website.
