Dashlane Visual Identity | Software Branding
How Dashlane’s identity elevated their brand and reinforce their position.
This is part of a 5-piece case study on Dashlane. Be sure to check out the previous pieces and stay tuned for what’s next.
In full transparency, I’m a huge fan of this rebrand, there will be some bias. No shame.
Back to business. Dashlane’s previous brand identity was centered on a shield emblem featuring an impala leaping across. Apart from this mark, there wasn’t a cohesive structure to their design language that made them recognizable.
According to their CMO, the old branding didn’t reflect where they wanted to go as a company or the attitude they wanted to convey to their users. Dashlane was seeking something elevated, elegant, and premium. Without appearing hoity-toity.
They hired a global design agency, Pentagram, to lead a rebrand. The results didn’t disappoint. Here are a couple photos from Pentagram’s case study.
The new branding focuses on a core concept of concealing and revealing. This is done by rooting it in a symbol (the slanted rectangle) that makes up the Dashlane “D.”
When paired with an upgraded color palette, streamlined typography, classed-up icons, and a creative flex between all of them, their position as a premium internet security company is obvious. Yes, it looks clean and modern, but more importantly this brand helps distinguish Dashlane’s position over competitors like LastPass.
This is speculation, but it seems like this new identity system helped streamline Dashlane’s marketing as well. They use a limited color palette, two typefaces, and have a distinct grid system for their iconography. This allows for consistency between billboards, digital and print advertisements, ephemera, Dashlane’s website, and even the product itself. Simplicity and safe-gaurds for their design team allow them to move faster and with greater peace of mind.
Coincidentally, that lines up with their mission of creating a safer and simpler life online for their users.
Parting thoughts:
Design a visual identity that can scale across every touchpoint a user will come into contact with. Your product, your site, ads, all of it.
Focus on conveying an emotion through color, shape, and type.
Be different from your competition. No one is going to mistake Dashlane green for LastPass red.
Originally published at https://www.zstvns.design.
