Vela is a centralized e-commerce dashboard for sellers across multiple channels (Etsy, Shopify, eventually Amazon, eBay, and many more). The idea behind Vela is simple — which is what makes it so powerful.
In June of 2019 I joined Vela as Head of Brand. My role covered brand strategy, writing, and design of both the visual identity system and the initial product interface.
Before any visual design executed it was necessary to understand and comprehend the ethos of Vela and the long-term objectives. And if you know me, push up your glasses. Here we go.
It starts with the Greek epic of Jason and the Argonauts. Interestingly, perhaps the best description of the myth is summed up by the 1963 film, Jason and the Argonauts: “Jason, son of the murdered King of Thessaly, is diverted from claiming his throne, in a search for the Golden Fleece, which can bring peace to his kingdom.” (The Golden Fleece is the fleece of the golden-wooled, winged ram, Chrysomallos — which was held in Colchis and retrieved by Jason. The fleece is a symbol of authority and kingship.)
Jason was the captain of the nautical ship, Argo Navis (Argos, for short). The Argos became canonized into a constellation in the sky and Vela (Latin for, “sails of a ship”) is part of the starry night.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/C-ZQGRM7GW0
Anyway, given that Greek mythology lesson, many companies — around the globe and in nearly every industry — are called Vela. How could this Vela be distinct?
The goal of a brand strategy exercise is understanding the essence of the brand within its context. Understanding leads to proper positioning and is then followed by a visual design process that translates into a unified system. In the end, this adds up to a set of tools for marketing and campaigns for the sake of brand name and identity recognition.
Essence exists only insofar as it appears — it does not pre-exist its appearance. Slovaj Žižek
Justin Killian, CEO of Vela, established the mission years ago: Optimize ecommerce for sellers through data, AI, and automation. Vela utilizes APIs provided by ecommerce platforms and creates a network of data to inform and improve sales over time. Optimizing sales through intelligence benefit the seller while respecting the buyer.
In their book, The Hero and the Outlaw, Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson establish a model of psychological archetypes for brands. An exercise in brand archetypes uncovered Vela’s primary archetype as the Sage — the truth can set you free. In the case of Vela, there is an opportunity to exhibit traits as advisor, expert, researcher, advisor, and planner for the customer base. The Sage brand voice is decisive, authoritative, intelligent, researched and makes customers feel empathized, in-the-know, educated, and engrossed.
The secondary archetype is the Magician (also known as the visionary, innovator, or charismatic leader). The Magician brand voice is expansive, moving, and articulate. The Magician can simply make it happen.
A brand promise should acknowledge every action of a company. It is an internal and external statement. Vela’s brand promise is “sell smarter” — it is a two-fold promise: on one hand Vela communicates publicly to customers, sell smarter with Vela; on the other hand, it is internal: to sell Vela smarter. Vela is a business after all and selling smarter only makes sense.