GreyMatter Brand Identity & Visual Design

GreyMatter is a venture capital firm focused on mental and brain health.

I created GreyMatter's visual identity from the ground up - starting with the logo and developing the colour, typography, graphic language, and visual system across presentations, digital, events, marketing, and print.

ROLE:

Brand Designer

SCOPE:

Brand Identity · Visual Design · Presentation Design · Information Design · Events · Digital · Marketing

GreyMatter needed a visual identity quickly as the firm was getting started.

I created a simple, distinctive logo that could be used immediately. The mark stuck, and the team chose to keep it as the company grew.

From there, I developed the surrounding identity - exploring colour and typography combinations, establishing the visual language, and creating a flexible system that could work across very different communication needs.

The identity was built quickly, but the decisions within it were intentional.

Colour + Typography

I explored several combinations of colour and typography to establish the visual character of the brand.

For each colour direction, I considered contrast ratios and how the colours would perform against one another - including light and dark backgrounds and reversed applications.

All of the proposed grey + colour combinations passed both WCAG AA and AAA contrast ratios, giving the final palette flexibility across different backgrounds, text treatments, and applications.

This meant the palette was designed as a usable system rather than a collection of colours that simply looked good together.

Testing colour, typography, contrast, and cross-application flexibility together.

Typography Exploration

I tested multiple headline and body combinations to find a system that could balance editorial impact with readability across presentations and other communications.

Exploring type combinations for hierarchy, readability, and visual character.

The final identity was built around a focused set of elements that could be recombined across different formats.

Colour

Charcoal · Grey · White · Yellow
‍A neutral foundation paired with a distinctive yellow accent.

Typography

Large editorial-style headlines + highly readable body copy
‍Large statements created impact while a clear hierarchy supported information-heavy content.

Graphic Elements

A small set of recurring graphic devices that could be used when they added structure or clarity:

Thin-line pathways
Rounded cards
Yellow highlight bars
Minimal iconography
Diagrams
Data blocks

The system deliberately avoided unnecessary visual elements. If something didn't improve understanding or communication, it didn't need to be there.

Image + Illustration

Photography and custom illustration were introduced when a communication needed a more expressive or contextual treatment.

Iconography and illustration were intentionally kept to a minimum. I only introduced them when they served a clear communication purpose - primarily to improve clarity or help explain a concept.

The identity was designed to be confident without relying on decorative elements. This restraint helped keep the visual language clean, focused, and flexible across different applications.

Information design

A large part of my work involved turning complex ideas around mental health, healthcare, technology, and investment into clear visual narratives.

I used typography, diagrams, frameworks, data blocks, and graphic devices to structure dense information without losing the character of the brand.

Beyond presentations

The identity extended beyond investor and strategy decks into events, social content, community initiatives, print, and digital.

The level of visual treatment changed depending on the audience and purpose, while the underlying system remained consistent.

Website

A template-based website customized to bring the GreyMatter identity into a digital environment.

I adapted the layout, typography, colour system, navigation, calls to action, and responsive presentation to create a cohesive digital expression of the brand.

Digital Application
The GreyMatter visual identity adapted into a responsive website experience.

Events + Community

Berkshires Brain Summit
‍Event communication for a gathering focused on neuroscience, neurotechnology, digital diagnostics, and mental health. Photography introduced a more atmospheric treatment while retaining the GreyMatter identity.

Event Promotion
Communications created to promote GreyMatter initiatives and connect founders, investors, researchers, students, and companies across the mental health ecosystem.

Event Recap
Photography, partner identities, editorial content, and event information brought together within the GreyMatter visual language.

Print

A focused print application bringing the GreyMatter identity into a bold editorial format.

Print Advertising
An editorial and illustrative application of the identity combining the established colour system with custom brain imagery and investment-focused messaging.

GreyMatter was a fast-moving environment where communications often needed to go from idea to finished asset quickly.

The identity therefore needed to be easy to deploy without feeling generic.

The original logo remained simple, while the surrounding visual system continued to grow through its applications. I built a focused set of visual ingredients - colour, typography, graphic devices, imagery, illustration, and information-design principles - that could be recombined across formats.

This allowed new communications to move quickly while still feeling recognisably GreyMatter.

‍The identity remains in use even after 3–4 years without requiring a fundamental redesign, which is a strong indication that the original visual decisions continued to serve the company as it grew.

Brand Identity & Visual Design