VL
Three routes for Volta Labs
Our sample hardware and IoT brand, Volta Labs, makes smart energy meters for homes. Here are three directions a designer, or Astitva, would explore.
Volta Labs
Route 1 · Wordmark
The name is the logo
A crisp wordmark that can be laser-etched on the device.
VL
Route 2 · Monogram
Built for the app icon
A compact lettermark for the device face and the app.
Volta Labs
Route 3 · Symbol and name
A mark that means something
A simple signal symbol that can glow as an LED pattern.
The typeface does most of the work
A precise, technical sans looks engineered and reads well when printed or engraved. Volta Labs uses Archivo.
Volta LabsWebsite header
Volta LabsPitch deck footer
Volta LabsEmail signature
VL
App iconVL
32 pxV
FaviconThe size test: a logo that only works big is not finished.
The background test
Your logo will sit on photos, dark screens and printed paper. Check every combination before you commit.
Volta Labs
Volta Labs
Volta Labs
Volta Labs
Skip the hardware and IoT clichés
Customers have seen these on every competitor. They make a new brand look borrowed.
Lightning bolts on every productCircuit-board patternsWi-Fi symbols
What works in hardware and IoT
- A mark that can be engraved, printed and lit
- A logo that works on a 1 cm device badge
Brand feel to aim for
Hardware brands go grey and blue. On a retail shelf, every box looks the same.
PreciseSolidSmart
Test
Put the logo on a render of the device at true size. Engraving and small badges remove fine detail.
From brief to logo in four steps
Write the strategy
Positioning, audience and voice decide what the logo must say.
Explore three routes
Wordmark, monogram and symbol. Compare them side by side.
Run the tests
Small sizes, backgrounds and the real places customers see it.
Lock the rules
Clear space, minimum size and colours, written in a brand book.
Questions
What type of logo is best for a hardware and IoT startup?
Most early hardware and IoT startups do best with a wordmark, because people learn the name faster. Add a monogram for the app icon and a symbol only when it says something specific.
Which logo ideas should a hardware and IoT startup avoid?
The category clichés: lightning bolts on every product, circuit-board patterns, wi-fi symbols. They make you look like everyone else.
How do I test a logo before using it?
Put the logo on a render of the device at true size. Engraving and small badges remove fine detail.
Can Astitva design my logo?
Yes. Astitva writes your brand strategy from a short brief, then draws three custom wordmark routes. You pick one and get it finished with usage rules. New accounts get 50 free credits.
More for hardware and IoT founders
Get three logo routes for your startup
Astitva writes your brand strategy, draws three custom wordmark routes, and finishes the one you choose with usage rules and a brand book.
Start free with 50 credits