Play’s identity for OpenResearch focuses on the physicality of the research that drives their work

When Y Combinator Research – the research arm of Y Combinator, best known for its start-up accelerator – rebranded as OpenResearch, it sought an identity reflecting its mission of promoting open and collaborative research across various fields. As a nonprofit independent collective of deep thinkers, strategists and researchers who dare to ask and investigate complex, open-ended questions, such as unconditional cash in the U.S., the organisation needed an identity that would respond to the intricacies of their work without being too complicated itself.

When the San Francisco-based team of Play was brought on to create the brand, they looked to the physicality of the research process – the “multilayered paper trail of the research world, documents, sticky notes and messy bulletin boards all informed our design which blends academic rigour with an entrepreneurial spirit. We also wanted to capture the inquisitive passion propelling the human search for answers,” Founder & Creative Director Casey Martin tells us.

The team was thinking about “editorial layouts, scientific papers and typography from the past and present” when creating an identity that would feel familiar while still having its own unique voice. The logo, with an ‘O’ made up of a series of parallel lines, symbolises “a stack of paper when viewed from another perspective,” says Martin. The choice of typefaces underpins the central concept as well. “When combined, our trio of typefaces – National 2, Atlas Grotesk and Atlas Typewriter – feels bookish and contemporary, whether online or in print.” They’ve each got a job to do – National 2 calls for attention in headlines, Atlas Grotesk makes body copy easily readable, while Atlas Typewriter has a technical quality, well-suited for data and captions.

In the art direction, the team wanted to play with ideas of digital research and the people who are behind it – pushing the buttons, asking the questions and turning the data into insights and knowledge. This was captured through collages and a “duotone treatment, reminiscent of xeroxed documents, combined with photography that nods to the real world that OpenResearch investigates and the real people leading that research,” adds Martin. This is the only flourish that Play allowed the otherwise minimal identity, a look that gives the brand a great deal of flexibility. “We can easily dial up the expressiveness through colour and collage when needed for things like hero website moments,” Martin explains. “At the same time, we can make minimal adjustments to accommodate touchpoints like whitepapers which are incredibly information-dense. It also makes their research easy to read and absorb.”