BRANDING, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Avalanche Apps mission is to enhance the experience of people in the outdoors.
I founded Avalanche Apps in 2016 with my business partner Jeremiah Harris.
After successfully launching two apps during 12 hour hackathons (as I've documented in my Fresh Snow and Colorado 14ers case studies) Jeremiah and I started a business to fulfill our larger mission of ehancing the experience of people in the outdoors.
With the business was officially registered, I needed to create a brand and identity that would capture the spirit of our mission. I immediately focused in on the strong princples of similarity between the two A's in the name and the siloutte of two mountain peaks.
Logo Variants
Workmark Variants
Since Avalanche Apps is a company built to help people enjoy the outdoors, it was easy to find many outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado to give feedback. User feedback was conducted with informal feedback sessions with peers and friends.
With each round of feedback the mountain concept became stronger than the AA monogram. As I iterated the logo shape I kept thinking about the flowing curves of nature: winding rivers, rolling mountains, and even ski tracks on a fresh slope. With each organic refinement to the shape, the logo's connection to nature became more concrete.
Mountain Concept in Progress
Refining the Details
After finding a strong connection to nature and getting all of the details just right, the final mountain design was complete. I felt the natural energy of a bright blue was the perfect—and only color needed to compliment the logo and complete the brand.
Photography for Avalanche Apps needed to do one thing very well: inspire people to be outside. I found that emotional response was strongest in photos of humans overcoming great feats against majestic scenery. Each photo should be full of energy and awe while staying believable.
In order to define the visual identity, I needed to establish the logo in various orientations, the primary and secondary typography, and colors. To define the emotional impact of our brand, we established our promise, mission, and vision. These guiding principles serve not only the brand but the core business.
Each key visual element was documented into an easy to reference image. I created a quick marketing website to host our products and designed business cards that fit with business concept. In order to create a memorable first experience the business cards are styled after an iPhone while also serving as a way to download our apps.
Final Wordmark
Establishing a clear brand and identity for our company helped create a core emotional and visual foundation for each product we created. The photograph follows the same goal of inspiring people to go outside and the internal app imagery applies the powerful photos of humans overcoming natural challenges.
Creating digital products that enhance the experience of people in the outdoors was just one piece of the puzzle. Before we earned our first $1 of revenue, we knew we wanted to do our part in protecting our planet and its limited resources.
I believe we should strive to sustain the wonder of nature for generations to come and the measurable way Avalanche Apps does this is by donating to non-profits that work to protect the environment following the inspirational model of 1% for the Planet.
Avalanche Apps Donates 1% Gross Revenue to the Planet