‘Fabricated with light’ — the future of 3D manufacturing
Since its launch in 2016, Carbon has advanced the 3D printing industry from basic prototyping to digital manufacturing. By fusing hardware, software and material technologies to create end-use parts with unparalleled speed and precision, Carbon is unlocking rapid product innovation for some of the world’s boldest companies.
On the heels of the TED Talk that catapulted them to fame, the team at Carbon3D — as it was then known — approached Moving Brands as they ramped up preparations for a first product launch. They needed a dynamic identity to represent the magnitude of their offer and position their brand for success.
We kicked off our collaboration by talking to and observing Carbon3D’s team of engineers, chemists, physicists and innovators in action. Seeing the technology at work was game-changing. The business offered a true leap forward in 3D manufacturing through CLIP (Continuous Light Interface Production), a breakthrough technology that uses a photochemical printing process through sequences of ultraviolet light to cure resin.
This tech enables rapid prototyping and production of commercial-grade parts to supercharge efficiency for global product brands, designers and engineers.
We wanted to craft an identity that could capture the nature and vision of Carbon3D’s technology, so we leveraged the luminous heart of their promise. We anchored the brand in the story ‘a future fabricated with light’ to guide our design explorations.
We proposed that Carbon3D drop ‘3D’ from their brand name to better reflect their advanced manufacturing capacity and designed an impactful graphic icon–an industrial ‘C’ formed of and fashioned by light.
Our corresponding mnemonic brings the icon to life, mirroring the movement of a part emerging from the pool of a Carbon printer. Bespoke modifications to the Carbon wordmark echo the industrial look and feel of the symbol.
Our design system was heavily inspired by the unique qualities of Carbon’s liquid resins. We built an interactive web tool to generate graphic representations of the resins’ material properties and 3D renderings that enabled us to apply the look and feel of liquid dynamics.
Unveiled internally in November 2015 and externally at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group annual conference in April 2016, the new identity received praise and recognition for differentiating the Carbon brand and positioning the business for success.
‘The Moving Brands team was a pleasure to work with. Their methodical approach was crucial in aligning and distilling the inputs from executive leadership and department representatives. The logo, wordmark and brand DNA have become cornerstones as we continue building our company and brand.’Marc Minor Head of Marketing at Carbon
