Symbolica AI
Brand Refresh & Motion System
Symbolica is an artificial intelligence research lab pioneering the use of category theory and type theory - abstract branches of mathematics to build a symbolic reasoning engine.
Some elements of Symbolica’s original brand were developed with Play Studio. After joining Symbolica AI as Brand & Design Lead, I refined and evolved the visual identity to better align with the company’s mission: positioning Symbolica as a research-led organisation advancing artificial intelligence.
The refresh was designed to reflect this depth of thinking. Rather than “looking like AI,” the brand aims to look like research : precise, rigorous, and trustworthy. Inspired by academic research papers, the visual language is intentionally crafted to resonate with highly specialised talent in abstract mathematics and category theory.
Scroll to the bottom for a fun fact about the motion system ↓
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The system balances rigor and expression. Structure, repetition, and controlled variation provide clarity and hierarchy, while bespoke illustrations inspired by category theory, commutative diagrams, and other abstract mathematics bring the research-driven nature of Symbolica to life.
Colour is used sparingly and strategically, guiding form rather than decorating it. Typography and layout prioritize legibility and authority, supporting long-form research content, technical discourse, and communications designed to attract rare, highly specialized talent.
This approach ensures that every visual element, whether structural or illustrative, reinforces Symbolica’s identity as a precise, rigorous, and intellectually grounded AI research lab.
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Rather than relying on expressive graphics or illustrative metaphors, the system uses structure, repetition, and subtle variation to communicate complexity. Color is used sparingly and purposefully, guiding form rather than decorating it. Typography and layout prioritize legibility and authority, supporting long-form research content and technical discourse.
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To bring the brand to life digitally, motion was designed as a living system.
I partnered with a creative technologist to develop a set of real-time generative animations using Three.js and React. These animations are generated in the browser through adjustable parameters such as geometry, frequency, density, and distortion, reflecting the research-driven nature of the company.
Instead of producing fixed motion assets, we built a flexible, code-driven motion library that can evolve alongside the research and the organisation. This approach reinforces Symbolica’s identity as a living research lab, dynamic, exploratory, and grounded in first principles.
Fun Fact!
Rather than producing traditional motion graphics, we built an animation system that lives and breathes in code.
Every single asset presented above is generated in real time and can be exported directly from the system. Our team is able to download each state as SVGs, JSON files, and multiple other formats, making the visuals fully modular and reusable.
This allows designers, engineers, and researchers to continuously distort, recombine, and experiment with the assets. Treating motion and form as raw material rather than fixed outputs. The system remains flexible, extensible, and deeply aligned with Symbolica’s computational ethos.