Magnolia
Financial services for the digital asset economy
Magnolia provides best-in-class financial infrastructure for digital assets. I was approached by founder Harsha Goli to help launch Magnolia into the public eye with a brand that reflected their mission and culture. Magnolia needed something that takes financial services seriously without sanding off its bitcoin-native, cypherpunk roots.
The Inspiration
As a greenfield project, Magnolia was a fertile land to try something new.
The core tension in the story:
- Provide financial infrastructure that dots all the i's, crosses all the t's, and ticks all the boxes
- Stay true to cypherpunk roots
So we looked back to the early days of the cypherpunk movement. The 1990s was our source of inspiration.
After filtering through screenshots of the early web, magazine ads, and pop culture from the 90s, we settled on a vibe: the enthusiasm of 90s Wired magazine and the texture and chaos of David Carson.
The brand
The brand synthesis: a bold statement, built on a foundation of the early web's high contrast, textured with monochrome dithering.
The art direction
The art direction actively rejects sterile fintech minimalism. Technology, finance, and attitude collide.
