2. It’s Not About
Swagger
“Swagger” is cocky, aggressive, and often
unearned. It’s a pro wrestler entering the ring, a
teenager with a fresh blast of Axe body spray on
his shirt, Jeremy Piven leaving an Entourage DVD
set as a tip.
The confidence we lend our readers comes from a
different place — it’s the kind of real confidence
that comes with knowing you’ve got a great team
on your side.
We broke this confidence down into a few key
words and logos that we think embody them.
6. Bold Serifs
The logos of online publications like Pitchfork, Vox, and Medium recall
the traditional blackletter of a newspaper masthead, suggesting
trustworthy analysis and institutional respectability.
8. Visual Support
Visual elements like the Amazon arrow or the Bandag Tires “road” help
add weight & motion to a logo while also lending the brand a sense of
security, reliability, and supportiveness.
10. Bold Serifs, Revisited
These logos pair Serious Fonts with fun details (slightly rounded corners,
character flourishes straight out of a 70s album cover) suggesting
worthwhile substance delivered with a sense of wit and play.
12. Monograms
These logos pair decorative or abstracted monograms with clean,
readable wordmarks; they degrade elegantly and work well for app icons.
13. Special Characters
These logos put a graphic twist on a single character that can then be
pulled out for use in app icons, favicons, & similar applications.
14. Pulling It
All Together
Zocdoc’s brand embodies the feeling of
confidence we’re going for — the message is
“you’re in good hands, so this is going to be easy.”
• The bold colors and text promise a simple, easy-
to use product
• Similarly, the fun illustrations and witty tone are
more than just cute — health care is often
difficult & stressful to navigate; this is telling you
to expect a completely different experience
• When you know something forwards and back,
you can afford to have a little fun with it!
