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Creating Carbon Heart’s branding
Carbon Heart (Carbon Heart Limited) is a Canadian retailer specializing in ethical, sustainable, and eco-friendly lab-grown diamonds. Their mission is to make the world a better place, one diamond at a time, by changing the perception that lab-grown diamonds are ‘fake’. They aim to achieve this by educating customers with transparent and scientifically accurate information about the differences between lab-grown and mined diamonds. The name “Carbon Heart” reflects the process of making a diamond in a lab, which involves starting the diamond with a ‘seed’ of carbon. Therefore, carbon is at the ‘heart’ of every single diamond.
Carbon Heart not only wanted to disrupt the jewelry industry with its mission but also aimed to challenge market norms with innovative branding that stood out in the sea of sameness and appealed to a younger demographic of women and men, with a slight lean towards a more masculine aesthetic since most loose diamonds are purchased for engagement rings.
A new brand backed by research
Before diving into any conceptual work, I immersed myself in understanding every aspect of lab-grown diamonds. Including their production process, environmental advantages over mined diamonds, and the fundamental differences between the two. I also analyzed the direct and adjacent competition among diamond, jewelry, and beauty suppliers to understand the industry and its branding and marketing customs.
My research revealed that the jewelry industry predominantly uses lighter colour palettes designed to appeal to women. Additionally, most leading brands own a blue hue, typographic logos, and separate emblems utilized consistently across marketing and packaging materials. These insights provided a clear picture of the industry’s conventions, highlighting the opportunities to push boundaries and ensure Carbon Heart stands out while being recognized within the industry.
Three unique concepts
After the research phase, I began developing rough sketches and concepts, leaving no idea unturned. Given the numerous visual directions the Carbon Heart brand could take to represent its goal, mission, and product, I aimed to explore all potential routes, including literal depictions of a diamond and heart, abstract representations, and the scientific angle of lab-grown diamonds. Once I had exhausted all options, I selected three promising directions. Then, I refined them through careful typography selection, colour palettes, and mockups to demonstrate how each logo identity could translate into a cohesive brand for Carbon Heart.
Concept 1
This concept’s logo draws inspiration from diamond chemistry. It features four abstract diamond hearts bonded together to reflect the molecular structure of carbon atoms in sp3 hybridization. The symbol’s rotation mirrors the 109.5-degree bond angle, capturing the elegance of diamond formation and resembling jewelry links. The sharp lines and details create a high-end yet attainable feel, enhanced by a simple sans-serif typeface and subtle heart symbols.
The colour palette is anchored in a sleek black-and-white scheme, using tone-on-tone aesthetics to elevate the design into a dark and luxurious experience, paying homage to carbon. Adelle, a slab serif typeface, echoes the logo’s abstract heart details, while Montserrat, the secondary typeface, offers a modern, geometric, and trustworthy aesthetic. The interplay between these typefaces adds variety and intrigue, with the slab serif lending a touch of luxury.
Concept 2
This concept features a sleek, minimalist logo that cleverly uses negative space to depict a diamond with a straight-edged heart at its core, symbolizing the carbon at the heart of every diamond. The customized typeface echoes the logo’s angular design, creating a cohesive and approachable personality. The sharp angles, crisp edges, and all-caps typography ensure a gender-neutral and trustworthy aesthetic.
The bold colour palette features dark burgundy with purple undertones and bright accents against a dark base, representing individuality, intensity, ambition, power, and sophistication. This palette aligns with Carbon Heart’s mission to challenge perceptions of lab-grown diamonds and promote ethical alternatives. The Museo Slab and Museo Sans typefaces added variety and intrigue, with the slab serif introducing a touch of luxury and elegance.
Concept 3
The final logo represents Carbon Heart’s name by illustrating how a lab diamond is grown, starting with a ‘seed’ of carbon, typically a thin square. The ‘seed’ is positioned in the center to communicate how carbon is at the ‘heart’ of every diamond, while the intertwining shapes mimic jewelry. The logo’s minimal soft curves, abstract heart, and bright accent colour make it approachable. At the same time, its sharp angles and clean lines give it a modern and precise look anchored in more masculine characteristics like its thick strokes and all-caps typography.
The font pairing for this concept consists of Museo Slab, chosen for its serifs, which convey a sense of quality and diversity for the brand. Gabarito is the secondary font, selected to complement the primary typeface and unify all brand elements, as it is the font used in the brand’s logo. The colour palette includes rich shades of green and black, with bright green and purple accents. Green symbolizes nature and growth, black represents elegance and sophistication, and purple evokes luxury, reinforcing Carbon Heart’s dedication to ethical, attainable, and eco-friendly diamonds. Research indicates that millennials and Generation Z prefer lively shades like lime green and lavender, perceiving them as gender-neutral and inclusive, aligning with Carbon Heart’s objective to appeal to a broad demographic.
The result
Carbon Heart immediately connected with concept three and thought the logo perfectly represented its values, mission, and product. They also thought the colour palette would help them attract attention and establish a strong presence as a new brand and company in the industry. As a result, Carbon Heart walked away with a new brand identity and the necessary tools like brand guidelines to ensure consistency, build recognition, and disrupt the jewellery industry.
“As a new business owner and not knowing exactly where to start with branding, logos, etc., working with Grace was a blessing. Grace took the time to understand my vision and used her deep expertise to help guide me in the right direction. She made me feel comfortable and explained things in a way that even a complete novice like me could understand. She helped turn my rough idea into a polished work of perfection. I have nothing but great things to say about Grace and her caring nature and professional skillset. My company now has an identity and look I could have only dreamed of before working with her. Needless to say, I will be a repeat client for the journey ahead.”
Vik Rana
Founder of Carbon Heart