The Cloud's Brighter Side

THE CHALLENGE
Civo was born from frustration with what the cloud category has become – a sector dominated by hyperscaler monopolies like AWS, Google and Microsoft where rising costs, hidden fees, lock-in contracts and closed ecosystems rule. The challenger brand's radical ambition is to change that. To democratise advanced computing and become the credible alternative. They needed a brand and identity that could take them from an enthusiastic underdog to credible disruptor with global appeal.

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THE INSIGHT
The cloud was always supposed to offer freedom and flexibility to those that used it, but somewhere along the way, that promise got lost. Civo were perfectly placed to bring it back. To do so, they needed to show up as the antithesis to a legacy cloud company. They needed to show up as something entirely new, positive and full of optimism.

THE EXECUTION
Showing up as a statement of fresh energy with an unmistakable flood of lime, Civo’s distinctive brightness is a beacon for collective ambition and change. Typography bucks the category’s reliance on standard sans. Instead, we introduced a serif full of character, borrowing editorial cues synonymous with intellect and thought leadership. A playful and metaphorical illustration style added warmth and humanity, while a new tone of voice was poised to puncture the posture of the cloud elite.

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THE CRAFT
With a type system rooted in sharp intellect, it needed a verbal identity to back it up. A provocative tone of voice unafraid to call out hyperscalers and challenge what’s come to be expected. Irreverent enough to create contrast and subversion, exposing how hyperscalers are falling behind without ever explicitly targeting them.

Civo’s new voice is built on expertise and delivered with originality. It builds credibility not by shouting louder, but by being clever. Its wit assumes intelligence and trusts the reader to fill in the gaps. To ‘get’ the reference. To enjoy the little smile of satisfaction when they do.

Headlines provoke and intrigue, written to pique interest and reward attention.
Sublines unpack and explain, building understanding and trust in a way the rest of the category could never.