The AI robots getting a retro Saul Bass twist

The end of June saw San Francisco-based brand strategy and design studio Landscape unveil a brand identity and site for Vicarious, an intelligent robotics start-up backed by $150m in funding from Elon Musk, Samsung and ABB. Thanks to AI and machine learning, robots are becoming more versatile and affordable than ever, and after 10 years of advanced AI research, Vicarious is now commercialising its offering as the world's first provider of Robots-as-a-Service. Landscape worked with the company to overhaul its brand strategy as it evolved from research leader to automation expert. Because automation is not the same for small businesses as it is for large enterprises, Vicarious needed an evolved brand that could signal different benefits to different audiences. To articulate this effectively, Landscape updated the positioning and messaging site wide, in tandem with a new Saul Bass-influenced design direction, and a new site architecture. "As part of this evolution, the brand had to signal serious business value to companies of all sizes, from small companies to global enterprises," explain Mackenzie Brookshire, associate creative director at Landscape and its strategy director Frank H Vial. "The visual system reflects the role of manufacturing in relation to human progress -- a balance of future technology and human potential, looking forward and inward. The brand feels purposeful, intentional, and powerful while remaining connected to craft and warmth."