Normal Computing
A new category of computing, built to feel human.
How do you brand a solution to an energy crisis nobody's talking about yet?
The AI and deep tech branding landscape is dominated by cold, algorithmic aesthetics. For a radical company solving AI's foundational energy problem, falling in line with trends was strategically misaligned.
Our team consisted of a creative director, strategist, digital designers, and a copywriter. We drew inspiration from kinetic systems, where moving one part sets off a chain that moves the next, and the next, until together they resolve into something larger than any single piece. That interdependence is close to how energy actually moves through a computing system: no single part carries the load alone.
Choosing predictable in an industry built on hype.
To help Normal feel distinct in the crowded AI and semiconductor space, we designed a brand system that felt precise and technical yet natural and human. Underneath the brand, I led a workshop with the client to nail down the story they wanted to tell and how to layer the complex confidence with the human-centred brand we built.
With other designers, we built the actual system it runs on from brand guidelines and website (desktop + mobile) to actual product work on Adam and Eve. We also created product animations to feature on the site focusing on abstracting the product to granular information that gets the most information across with the least cognitive load.
The site runs on a component library we built alongside the brand guidelines. Desktop, mobile, product pages, animations, it all pulls from the same set of pieces, so nothing drifts as the company grows.
Making the invisible physical
Research
At kick-off, the Normal team recommended "Chip War" by Chris Miller. It's an eye-opening read that really solidified the "power in the palm of your hand" narrative and the importance of coming across as precise and technical yet natural and human.
Shipped ahead of the fundraise, and it held
This shipped on a hard deadline tied to Normal's fundraise, so the handoff between me, the dev team, the motion designer, and the client had to be constant and tight, not a file thrown over a wall. The $85M valuation badge on this page is real: the site held up under actual investor traffic right when it mattered most.