Branding that looks tasty

Baking a visual identity for a private stock options marketplace.

Published Feb 28, 2025

Author Austin Barto

cake-logo-horizontal.jpg

mark + logotype

It's always exciting to use a food metaphor for a brand—especially when that metaphor involves cake! Topics like private stock options and founder marketplaces may not seem appealing, and it's easy for a brand in such a serious sector to take itself too seriously. We needed a way to stand out in the often mundane world of stock options, and what better way to connect with everyone than through cake?

cake-logo-wall.jpg

...had to make a logo wall with brand colors.

cake-card.jpg

Card application.

cake-shirt.jpg

Clean logo stamp on a shirt.

From there, metaphors and associated sayings started to emerge everywhere. The phrase "Have your cake and eat it too" was the first to really excite us about the topic. This sparked a deep dive into fair cake-cutting, which involves extensive research and even calculus to determine the best way to divide a cake among people. (It's much more complex than I can adequately explain.)

Even without all this background, the cake as a metaphor for stock options was compelling, and we were thrilled to persuade the client to embrace such a distinctive brand. We then added simple animations to help convey the story on the marketing site, bringing the cake to life.

Image

Cake shake.

Image

Cake bite.

Image

Cake take.

DirectionAustin Barto
DesignAustin Barto