Oilcoin is a legally compliant digital currency backed by oil reserves. It aims to solve the problem of volatility in the crypto industry by providing value based on reserve oil. I was hired to create a website concept and to update some of their pitch deck graphics.
Oilcoin presented a unique challenge for me as a designer. Their aesthetic is more corporate than any of my other projects, so I spent a lot of time in the discovery phase. The main goal of this phase was to learn everything about who Oilcoin is, what they do, and to learn about the industry they operate within. Doing market research is a key component to creating a competitive brand.
The idea of Oilcoin was something completely new, so we wanted to design something that was unlike anything in the crypto industry. Execution of the design was paramount because Oilcoin wanted to present itself in a way that let users know they were involved with crypto, but also in a way that represented the wealth of experience the leaders of Oilcoin possess.
When designing for Oilcoin, I had a few key goals :
When we finished narrowing down the aesthetic, we spent a lot of time strategizing website flow and information design. We met every day to share ideas, present deliverables, and to discuss direction. The design had to be stunning, but ultimately functionality was the most important thing. We wanted to express the information with a visual hierarchy that made sense and didn't overload potential clients with information. I used multiple tones of blue to represent loyalty, security, and stability, and put an emphasis on presenting the team early on as the user scrolls through the page.
Once we had a strong visual identity, Oilcoin had me completely overhaul some of their pitch deck graphics to fit their new feel. Graphics like these are incredibly important because once they are distributed they play a key role in representing a company. Someone who doesn't relate to a brand's graphics might not take the extra step to navigate to their website. Having a totally cohesive set of graphics is a necessity to growing and evolving a brand.
