The Naming Problem
Applied Nanotech develops novel nano-materials and processes for microelectronics, defense, high-energy physics, and nuclear energy. Following a change of ownership, the company needed branding that matched its scientific precision and ambition — without discarding the equity already built up in its website.
A redundant name and a borrowed palette
The previous identity used colours and conventions from a prior ownership era, and carried a redundant name — “ANI” stacked beside “Applied Nanotech Inc.” on a single mark.
- Simplify the verbal identity to “Applied Nanotech”
- Draw a new symbol out of the science itself
- Develop a colour the company owns
- Refine rather than rebuild, so the existing site still holds
One Name, One Mark
The verbal identity was simplified to Applied Nanotech. The new symbol forms the letters A and N from nodal connections — the structure of nanoscale technology, drawn rather than described.
Primary logo
Mark construction — A and N formed from nodal connections
Stacked lockupNanotech Purple
A distinctive violet — Nanotech Purple — honours the brand’s history while giving the company a colour of its own. A gradient palette extends the system across digital surfaces, keeping the identity refined rather than rebuilt.
Colour system, anchored by Nanotech PurpleA Type System as Exacting as the Work It Carries
Kobenhavn carries the logotype and print — geometric, precise, and close to the typography already running on the website.
Metropolis handles digital and email, where clean letterforms stay highly legible at small sizes.
A Drop-In Upgrade
Business cards
Business card 2
Direct mail
One-page overview