Clay highlight the necessity of accessibility and warmth in their identity for estate planner Wealth

San Francisco-based UI/UX design agency Clay have developed the enlivening identity for Wealth, a personal finance and estate planning startup founded to make the latter simpler and safer, with backing from a plethora of experienced industry experts. Working closely with Wealth’s team, Clay sought to translate their expertise and energy with a vivid, refreshing colour palette of green and yellow hues, as well as the playful use of Reckless by Displaay and Neue Haas Unica Pro by Monotype as the typeface duo. “Reckless was chosen to give the brand a timeless and distinctive character,” Clay’s Creative Director Oleg Turbaba tells us, “whilst Neue Haas Unica Pro, on the other hand, is the ultimate sans serif,” he remarks, “a hybrid of Helvetica and Univers that is perfect for the body text, whilst still being far from a generic type choice.” The influence of Reckless’ distinctive character is further evident in its use as the brand’s wordmark, a critical graphic element that Clay set in lowercase. Discussing as much, Turbaba recalls, “it is set in lowercase to convey both a traditional approach and an innovative vision,” noting the “modern feel within a traditional sphere.” Supporting, characterising and vivifying the identity’s use of colour and type is the inclusion of illustration, providing a kindred tone and fulfilling a functional role. “The Wealth illustration system helps the user to go through the process of documenting their last will in a gentle manner,” Turbaba notes, looking to aesthetically answer sensitive issues. “It was clear that any presentation of the last will should not be done in an emotionless way,” he continues, turning towards the warmth and accessibility of illustrations in place of mundane, dry details and finances. “It was essential that the illustrations were not too strict and the user could relate to them,” Turbaba concludes, noting the distinction between Wealth’s confident typography and the “soft, graceful shapes of the illustration that speak to the humanity and simplicity of the product.”