Pentagram has created the identity, website and environmental graphics for Platform, a non-profit organization and conference that focuses on increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in technology and entrepreneurship, with particular focus on African-Americans, Latinos, and women.
The identity uses the font ThreeSix 11 (designed by MuirMcNeil), chosen for its futuristic, technological look. The wordmark has been extended with a distinctive line that can be customized for a series of transformations that reflect the dynamic nature of the organization and its initiatives. At the Platform Summit, the group’s conference at the MIT Media Lab, the line was animated for motion graphics shown during the presentations and used as a directional device for environmental graphics in the event space. The structure of ThreeSix 11 also inspired a system of unique, playful icons for Summit collateral and signage.
Materials for the first Summit were produced in a strong, simple black and white, but the identity for Platform as a whole incorporates bright, bold color to stand out. Color is a basic element of the website, the chief “platform” for the organization to share its ideas through videos of the Summit talks. Optimized for mobile use, the site design echoes the segmented forms of the logo in a modular format that places content in blocks.
