Ismael Branco Crafts Relentlessly Brand Identity
Ismael Branco creates a bold brand identity, overline typography system, and landing page for Norwegian startup community Relentlessly.
Two weeks isn't much time to build a visual world from scratch. When Norwegian startup community Relentlessly approached independent designer Ismael Branco, they already had hundreds of founders and a clear mission, yet they were still running on a bootstrapped look. Working closely with co-founder and CEO Karsten Duus Wetteland through community surveys and interviews, Branco uncovered one core conviction: nobody should have to build a company alone. That insight positioned Relentlessly as the grassroots layer before any formal incubator steps in, shaping a ten-point manifesto, a conversion-focused landing page, an investor pitch deck, and a complete brand book in a single fourteen-day sprint.
The Overline Rule in a Brand Identity
Everything in the visual language grows out of a single typographic gesture. Look at the wordmark first. A crisp horizontal overline bar sits directly above the initial capital R, acting as a literal roof over the type. When the system expands into posters, billboards, and stage screens, that short bar stretches into full-width horizontal rules placed above every line of headline copy. It's a dead-simple graphic device that turns any sentence into an unmistakable piece of the brand.
Color carries the community story just as hard. Because a grassroots network brings together people from completely different backgrounds, Branco avoided locking the system into a single corporate shade. Instead, the stationery suite and social cards cycle through coral red, acid lime, lavender pink, electric cobalt, deep forest green, and warm uncoated cream. You can see how well that restraint holds up across physical touchpoints — from the crimson hardcover Take notes journal and heavyweight Build hoodies to black canvas Create tote bags and multi-colored business cards.
See the full brand identity project by Ismael Branco on his portfolio.
