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Established in 2012, Onfido is a company developing identity verification software that uses artificial intelligence that “sorts true IDs from false, and then compares them against facial biometrics”. With 250 technologists in offices across 6 countries, they power verification for more than 1,500 companies from financial service companies, to marketplaces and communities, to gaming. Last month, Onfido introduced a new identity designed by London, UK-based Koto.
Over 1,500 businesses across four continents currently benefit from Onfido’s technology. Their sheer breadth shows how online identity verification is becoming increasingly prevalent - everywhere from personal banking and car hire to airport security and online gaming. The logo is a simple visual representation of what lies at the heart of Onfido: human identity. It positively implies security whilst also feeling open and accessible. It’s a confident and dynamic symbol that acts as a sign-off wherever it appears.
The old logo wasn’t great but it wasn’t too terrible. The checkmark in a gradient ring was decently done and it looked like something was verified, secured, or approved in some way — if you saw that at the bottom of a log-in screen you’d be like “Sure, I trust you, you have a checkmark”. The wordmark… I think they misunderstood the point of the “fi” ligature where typically the tittle of the “i” becomes part of the “f” but they had the right idea in spacing it all out. The new logo shifts the attention to the user, placing an abstract human figure in the icon in a surprisingly novel way by cropping the upper body inside an unexpected shape which then yielded four equally unexpected shapes that frame the dot inside. The asymmetry of the icon and the individual shapes is great, giving the icon a sense of motion. Given that the name is so… weird… I don’t know if the icon can convey the same “approved”-ness that the old checkmark did but it’s certainly a more engaging mark. The wordmark is pretty nice with the “f” adding a bit of personality.
We worked with illustrator Nata Schepy and photographer Cat Garcia to bring a more human approach to identity. With Cat we built an extensive image library that works from more descriptive product experiences up to emotional team and customer portraits. Nata helped us bring the complex nature of an individual’s digital identity to life. No photoshoot, however expansive, could deliver this key aspect of Onfido’s near invisible tech and service.
The illustrations are cool and I like how the shapes of the limbs sort of match the individual shapes in the logo and the small heads of the people also resemble the dot in the icon. They are a nice spin on the faceless-techie illustration trend.
The identity then uses Lota Grotesque inside a combination of holding shapes and accompanied by a few dingbats. I am not entirely sure what this is meant to communicate but I really like the resulting compositions, especially in the two applications below, where they make the text in the ads look as if it were a lighthearted encrypted code that needs to be deciphered. The color gradient poofs are an interesting way of adding another visual element to the identity.
Overall, there is a great pleasantness to this identity for a subject matter that is generally unexciting and uninviting.