SCHEMATIK.XYZ

THE ASK

Schematik didn’t want to look like a creative agency. In fact, they wanted the opposite.

Positioning themselves as the back-end operators of the “New Internet” or modern digital landscape, Schematik’s goal was to attract high-functioning teams looking for precise, process-led execution across motion design, video, and emerging tech. Internally, they prided themselves on being methodical and systematic – creative, yes, but with a strong engineering mindset. The identity needed to reflect that.

In a sea of colourful, vibrant, post-Instagram design studios, the brand couldn’t afford to look like yet another quirky, kooky studio setup. 

IDENTITY GOALS

• Global Presence: An identity that transcends geographical boundaries, positioning Schematik as a brand that exists and operates entirely on the Internet.

• Methodical, yet Human: To convey a sense of surgical precision – systematic, process-driven work, executed by humans performing at an elite level.

THE APPROACH

I grounded the brand in the idea of schematics and systems – flowcharts, blueprints, annotations, grids, and the raw, in-progress thinking that fuels invention. The visual language drew from the journals and working diagrams of engineers, architects, and inventors – spaces where logic meets iteration. We also locked in the name of the brand at this point in time.

This idea came to life as a black-and-white brutalist identity with human notations layered onto grid systems. The design language was intentionally minimal and utilitarian, designed to evoke clarity and control – while the scribbles and sketches added a sense of motion and living intelligence, evoking the atmosphere of a lab where creative, 'mad scientists' are hard at work.

The logo flexes into a variable identity system: fluid, responsive, and able to morph to fit any space or context. This wasn’t just a visual trick, it was a metaphor for how Schematik plugs into different parts of a creative pipeline, whether providing end-to-end delivery or supporting just one slice of a project.

To support this, a custom icon set represents each of the company’s service offerings. Abstract and nebulous at first glance, but with cues that maintain a literal link to the core idea – creating an ‘aha’ moment to snap into focus once you know what you’re looking at.

EXTENDING THE SYSTEM: WEB DESIGN

The website needed to walk the talk: precise, stripped back, and efficient without ever feeling cold or corporate. I used the brand’s brutalist foundation as a starting point, creating a grid as a rigid base, then layering it with moments of controlled fluidity. The design leads with restraint: monochrome palette, minimal text, and a high-impact hero that feels like a calm before the storm. Animations are smooth but unflashy—built to show control over chaos, not noise for noise’s sake. In essence, the site functions like a living schematic, reflecting the same core idea that drives the visual identity: methodical, precise, scalable.

THE OUTCOME

• A visual identity that communicates method over madness – surgical, logical, precise

• Black-and-white brutalist system that immediately stands apart from typical agency tropes

• Variable identity structure optimised for both motion and modular application

• Custom iconography for services ranging from VFX and editing to virtual production and Web3 content

• A website and brand language that reflect Schematik’s identity as a plug-and-play backend operator for the creative internet

Note: Though this work was never launched publicly, the full identity system and website were developed and delivered.