View Source helps blockchain platform Moonbeam glow up with an ethereal new identity and UI

Moonbeam first emerged at a time when different blockchain platforms were being created, when companies focused more on launching new platforms than making existing ones work well together or creating better user experiences. “If you’re building on the blockchain,” explains View Source’s Creative Director & Partner Andrew Rutledge, “you believe in the right to fully own your work wherever you take it. Often you’re locked into one place, dependent on a single platform.” Moonbeam, by contrast, is a multi-chain blockchain platform that radically simplifies decentralised development.

Aiming to speak to and rally their diverse audience – developers, builders creating something new, and the wider community – they enlisted the help of View Source to create a visually striking look that breaks away from an industry saturated with undifferentiated identities.

Rather than rely on web3 visual clichés and take cues from “the default terminal/command line interface language that is so prevalent in the space,” the team (with the collaboration and encouragement of the client) took a step in a more ethereal direction. Leveraging the dual nature of the Moonbeam name – representing both a scientific phenomenon and a source of natural wonder, they came up with an organic concept of ‘moonlit photosynthesis,’ best summarised in the speculative question “What if the world as we know it was born out of moonlit photosynthesis as opposed to sunlight?” The result is a dark, atmospheric backdrop with morphing, luminous blue forms reminiscent of glowing botanical elements, moonbeams, and celestial phenomena.

“To begin, we started with reference pulling,” recalls Rutledge, “mainly in the deep-sea creature space. We realised that we needed to tweak these organic forms to create something otherworldly.” Using StableDiffusion, they generated renditions of moonlight-synthesised creatures and landscapes to help visualise the concept. “Though when it came to truly crafting them, refining them, and giving them some life through animation,” he continues, “we relied on our favourite 3D studio partners, Studio Gamma in Paris. The majority of their work was built in Houdini.”

This concept, which could have easily been dismissed as too experimental, was enthusiastically embraced by the client. “Honestly, we were worried that we took it too far with the moonlit photosynthesis rabbit hole, and luckily they loved it enough to follow us down and out through it,” Rutledge reveals.

A professional yet innovative UI and interaction design tie everything together. The minimalist interface design incorporates coordinate markers that suggest a technical, digital environment. Meanwhile, the clean, modern typography system features a mixed-letter treatment, reflecting the platform’s multi-chain technology.

Despite emerging from budget constraints, the animation suite manifests in three distinct categories – glimmering headings, shimmering borders, and rolling monotype – adding premium cinematic touches throughout the digital experience.

“The feedback from the die-hard Moonbeam builders has been incredible,” says Rutledge. “They see it as 10 steps forward in terms of maturity as a brand and platform, which we believe is something they’ve been evangelising for years as builders. The identity took it to that level.”