Rayven

With a strong passion for action on climate change and an impressive track record in the clean tech and real investment spaces, founders Owen Barrett, Grant Bowman, and Chris Pomerleau were dissatisfied with the lack of progress on climate initiatives in their industries. The corporate platitudes, symbolic gestures, and other hypocrisies surrounding climate change initiatives were no longer acceptable. Frustrated with waiting for someone else to take action, they took up the mantle and set out to lead the way. With a results-driven approach to environmentally conscious investing, and a bold goal of creating the world’s first net-zero real estate investment platform, they recognized the need for a brand that would inspire and galvanize a community of like-minded impact investors who shared their passion for addressing climate change. In response, they sought the expertise of BLVR to develop a brand that would resonate with their target audience and align with their vision. BLVR was up for the challenge.

Our naming journey began with three buckets to explore a spectrum of tone the name would convey: Legacy, Disruptor, and Revolution. Given the brand’s promise to upturn the status quo and trailblaze a new path forward, it became obvious that Revolution was the most fitting. As a brand fueled by a deep sense of responsibility towards safeguarding their planet, what better place to look for inspiration than nature itself? We began our extensive search for a name that embodied the spirit of the brand and keyed in on its brand attributes. Highly intelligent. Problem-solving. Adaptive. Agile. Community-driven. Committed to protecting their environment. Enter “Rayven”.

After crafting the name, we needed to establish an art direction that would provide the visual road map for the brand. The company’s North Star attributes of Revolutionary, Sustainable, and Trailblazing provided the foundation for a visual direction that was disruptive, rebellious, and optimistic. The art direction employed black as the primary color, symbolizing the company’s edgy, “f the system” mentality. Bright yellow boldly cut through the dark palette, serving as a ray of optimism, and a nod to Rayven’s use of solar on their buildings. A strong directional motif was implemented through graphic elements, animation, and photography, to project progress, future-forward innovation, and leadership. The brand direction was locked in and ready to fly.

We explored a countless range of visual metaphors, including birds in flight, integrated arrows that spoke to growth and progression, among other references. Despite these promising avenues, the key insight that unlocked the brand’s identity came from a simple comment from the client. “Our properties look identical to everyone else’s from the ground. It’s only from a bird’s eye view that the differences become apparent” This observation provided the catalyst for the design team to change their perspective, adopting an aerial view of a raven with outstretched wings. This change brought the icon to life, with precise, angled wings that speak to the technical expertise of the team. The sun-like, outward radiating wings created a hopeful and optimistic tone and subtly nodded to the company’s use of solar energy on all its buildings. The resulting logo is a badge of pride that can be worn with confidence by impact-minded investors. Paired with a bold and minimalistic color palette, refined typography, and aspirational, nature-inspired photography, the resulting brand cut through the noise of the industry, and visually captured the company’s promise of leading the way on climate action in the real estate investment space.