Northzone
Northzone committed to strength of character. With a rebrand to grow its reputation in the US and beyond.
Northzone is a VC with a heavyweight track record. They’d made over 175 investments, covering both Europe and the US. And they’d just announced the close of a $500m fund, their ninth since 1996.
But their understated brand was at odds with their remarkable achievements. To level the playing field with the storied American firms, we helped Northzone show that bigger rarely means better.
Overview
The partnership
A rebrand and new website created to cut through in a category full of clichés.
Define
The industry is defined by bravado. Everyone backs game changers, and everyone spots outliers. Northzone’s experience means they cut through the hype and get to the truth about the team. They build their relationships from this common ground. So we placed strength of character, not just size of opportunity, at the heart of their brand.
Create
The new identity uses editorial design to tell the unvarnished stories of venture. A striking masthead-style logotype is paired with a verbal identity that’s sometimes counterintuitive, but always searingly honest.
Design system
Storytelling runs through every part of the brand experience, underpinned by an adaptive design system that can cope with whatever is thrown at it. In print, or online.
Commit
A new website embraces the editorial approach. Stories from the people changing everything. Combined with a set of surprisingly refreshing principles.
The different reality
Northzone used the launch of the new brand to reintroduce themselves as a world-leading firm without the baggage of the large funds. 36 people in six countries. No fixed HQ and a ‘glocal’ approach to investing. In September 2022 they raised their largest fund to date, securing over $1.2 billion.
Defining a brand around our diverse range of perspectives was never going to be easy. But Ragged Edge challenged us to challenge ourselves. Our new brand captures the firm’s unwavering conviction in a way that feels true to our past, present and future.