HotStart VC | 2025 Brand Refresh
As the lead graphic designer for HotStart VC’s 2025 rebrand, I was responsible for elevating the visual identity of a venture capital firm focused on celebrity-founded brands. The goal was to create a modern, confident, and high-impact system that matched the company’s bold mission and future-facing energy.
As the lead graphic designer for HotStart VC’s 2025 rebrand, I was responsible for elevating the visual identity of a venture capital firm focused on celebrity-founded brands. The goal was to create a modern, confident, and high-impact system that matched the company’s bold mission and future-facing energy.
Core Contributions:
Visual System Redesign: Developed a complete brand refresh, including logo system, expanded color palette, and typography guidelines. The new identity was built to be bold, digitally adaptive, and versatile across premium editorial and startup-facing assets.
Logo Suite: Created and applied primary and stacked logos for cross-platform use. The horizontal version was optimized for web and digital applications, while the stacked version was tailored for tight spaces like social avatars and merchandise.
Color Palette Strategy: Built a rich, layered palette inspired by nightlife, luxury, and momentum. Colors such as Sangria, Cherry Heat, Golden Hour, and Velvet Noir strike a balance between aspirational and grounded aesthetics.
Typography System: Defined a custom font pairing:
Quipo (Title)
Lightshift (Headings)
BN Bergen (Subtitles/Subheadings)
Poppins (Body)
This system supports hierarchy, legibility, and scalability across platforms—from formal pitch decks to energetic social assets.
Digital Assets: Designed branded email signatures and custom LinkedIn header graphics for team members to ensure professional brand presentation across external channels.
Visual Style Direction: Guided tone and composition rules—encouraging upscale, clean layouts with bold spacing and high-contrast applications to maintain an elevated feel across web and social.
