Pix4D started in 2011 by emerging out of EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, one of the best technical universities in the world. In the beginning, there was Pix4Dmapper. It was the comprehensive photogrammetry software, with a variety of outputs that took advantage of the capabilities of newly developed drones. With time, both drones and software evolved. Pix4Dmapper was joined by the Pix4Dcapture app to allow anyone to autonomously fly a consumer drone and acquire optimal images for photogrammetry. The product portfolio was growing, addressing specific industries with Pix4Dbim and Pix4Dag, and each product needed its own identity and marketing strategy.
This transition from 1-product wonder to industry leader grounded in research has inspired changes within Pix4D. We now have offices not just in Lausanne, but also in Madrid, Berlin, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Denver. Pix4D has evolved from being based on a single product, Pix4Dmapper, to entering a range of industries.
In 2018, the release of Pix4Dfields opened the door to a logo family that could grow with Pix4D’s product portfolio. Pix4D’s lead designer Alessandro Gallo realized that the brand identity needed to transition to suit the expanding product portfolio. With the 10 year anniversary coming up, he and his team began the process of rebranding.
Why would you rebrand a household logo?
Let’s make one thing clear: good design needs to be well thought out. The artistry behind Pix4D products is carefully planned. The current Pix4D logo has several versions that can be used according to background colors and in different contexts. However, Alessandro noticed several challenges that he wanted to overcome:
- The old logo is hard to read in smaller sizes
- The logo is slightly tilted, making it structurally awkward in negative space.
In graphic design, the negative space is as important as the positive space; there needs to be harmony and balance between the two. Currently, the tilted square created by the logo makes it difficult to inscribe in simple shapes such as circles or squares that are where the logo is displayed on thumbnails or presentation footers. This also means that the logo is not “responsive” — it is difficult to format it and also stay true to its design. A rebranding of the logo could not only highlight the transition of the company’s identity but also make the logo easier to work with.
The rebranding process
Alessandro got to work breaking down the elements of the Pix4D logo as it stands, with a particular focus on the Mobius loop.
The negative space within the loop was triangular, which is a critical shape in photogrammetry. Triangles are important for triangulation where they help establish the relative position of two or more points, as well as for the mesh in 3Dmodeling. Furthermore, the logos of each individual product by Pix4D are symbolized with a hexagon — which again, can be broken down into triangles.
The process of rebranding had a clear pattern of merging old with new, maintaining the pillars of the Pix4D identity without losing track of change and development. That means not losing sight of what Pix4D does at its base: photogrammetry. I.e. measuring from images.
For that reason, the triangles are in keeping with not only the original logo, but also with the end-product. The individual logo can now be used on its own without taking up space or creating awkwardness in the design layout. The new logo can easily be used by partners on their websites or marketing material without being warped or causing an uneven layout on the page.
An ever-expanding future
The new logo isn’t just about Pix4D, but Pix4D products. It is entirely scalable, meaning that is easily recognizable when it is sized down.
Each product has a specific color palette that compliments the logo’s base colors, maintaining continuity throughout the site and avoiding awkward clashes — the last thing you want is your product not to match your logo.
And that got us to where we are. The new look for Pix4D does not forget the old. We’re evolving as a company, and we will continue to do so over the next 10 years.
We’ve helped build the foundations of photogrammetry with drones, but we are just getting started. Our software and products will continue to get faster and better, helping our users map, inspect, survey, and model better and faster than ever before.
