Vilda:

In 2050 all buildings in Europe have to be climate neutral. But, how do we assess, upgrade and certify 200 000 000 homes? With the smart design of data.

Vilda, poised to address Europe's climate-neutral housing challenge by 2050, focuses on enhancing the energy efficiency of homes, particularly in Norway, where less than 1% of households achieve an A EPC rating. Our collaboration began at Vilda's inception, evolving from a user interface to a data-as-a-service model. We delivered a brand that exudes ease, trust, and sophistication.

Vilda's mission is huge, omnipresent, and nuanced in how it affects homeowners and every bank's mortgage portfolio. They use advanced statistical modelling and simulations to provide banks and insurers with insight into the energy performance, risk, and potential of any residential building, all through the simplicity of one API.

The business' pivot from a homeowner app to data-as-a-service (API) for banks, insurance, real estate agents and marketplaces made what was already complex to communicate with ease even more so.

So how do we create a brand for an intangible tool to upgrade the tangible material world? A brand that major financial institutions such as banks and insurers want to be served by, that investors are attracted to, that homeowners can trust, and that tradespeople value? A brand that scales from the Norwegian market for a problem faced throughout the EU and worldwide?

Considering the dynamics of the challenge and Vilda's solution, a lot rested on Vilda's visual and verbal identity, which was paramount to the customer experience, from sales and marketing to UX for customer acquisition to the presentation of insight and customer service.

In a market cluttered with green tech clichés, we crafted Vilda's brand to stand out while being a true reflection of the company's brand essence and self. Our mission oriented approach places the visual profile in an authoritative position whilst remaining approachable, optimistic and atmospheric.

The brand references the parallels and symbiosis between data-driven technology and genetic codes, structures and cell makeup of the natural world around us. The logo symbolises the systems, rhythms, and repetition evident in the data and nature. The repeating and radiating arrangement of the symbol reflects Vilda's ambitions to be a source of positive impact that ripples outwards to new markets across Europe.

The logo word-mark and hero typeface instils a calming/trusting personality with aesthetic roots in academia, encyclopaedia vernacular and editorial.

Brand imagery balances a micro/macro approach that looks inward to define why Vilda exists and who the product serves. Photography is defined as having a warm, textural, and atmospheric quality. An image treatment is reserved for special usage that combines the structured nature of code language and data. This references and builds on the structure seen in the logo symbol and Vilda's products, which, at their core, create and complete data-based models of homes' energy profiles.

A muted colour palette disrupts the category by opting for calmer tonal colours inspired by both nature and the tech landscape. When paired with a UI/dashboard inspired illustration style the visual profile effectively communicates how and what the tech platform can achieve as a behind the scenes data engine for banks and property portfolio managers in a changing legislative landscape across the European housing market.

With a robust new brand platform and visual profile, Vilda's future looks green.

– To propel us forward into the next phase, the Nonspace team delivered outstanding work that truly captured the essence of Vilda as a brand. Their hands-on approach throughout meant they were able to deliver a brand platform and visual identity that both aligned with and humanised energy efficiency performance data / discipline.

From the outset, their understanding of our challenges, constraints, and needs, combined with an ego-free, open-minded and service minded approach, made working together effortless; this, in turn, seamlessly translated into a captivating landing site and adaptable UI components for our platform.

Working with Nonspace as a startup felt like having an extension of the team – attentive, flexible, and with a high sense of ownership, says Matthew Harrison-Raft, Co-Founder and former Design Lead at Vilda.

– Vilda's brand and communications have supported us in increasing significant interest from investors nationally and internationally and streamlined the sales process. Also making it easier for us to effectively communicate our value proposition and products to non-technical audiences, simplifying our approach and enhancing clarity, says Børrea Schau-Larsen, founder / CEO Vilda.

Vilda’s brand design was nominated for SRF Kuben awards 2023 and continues to grow in development, as part of the continual growth of the company.