Cart.com
Putting the power back in the hands of brands
Putting the power back in the hands of brands
Situation
Cart.com launched in September 2020 as a game-changing new force in e-commerce: a single platform where companies can find everything necessary for online retail success, from online storefront development to marketing, fulfillment, payment, and customer service. Cart.com is shifting the paradigm built by conventional online marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart, to offer a new model that puts the power back into the hands of the brands themselves.
They needed a brand identity as bold and distinctive as the company itself, with a strong brand identity that would be as immediately recognizable as those of the world’s largest online retailers but with its own unique power and style.
Solution
The company’s founders initially envisioned an emblem based on a shopping cart, reminiscent of Shopify’s shopping bag. We wanted to steer away from generic symbols that might seem overused and overfamiliar. We also wanted to avoid too-cute or too-obvious visual references like JD.com’s puppy or Alibaba’s genie.
The challenge was to craft an identity as definitive and self-evident as those familiar images without being too predictable. We also envisioned a logo comprised of a wordmark and emblem that could be used individually when needed yet still recognizable and unmistakable as the cart.com brand.
We began by reimagining the shape of a shipping box whose hexagonal lines also suggest a hub or marketplace—strong visual cues to the essence of the business. Then we rotated that hexagon slightly to express the motion and speed of delivery. The shape is also a subtle reference to the nut that keeps the wheel on a delivery truck.
The wordmark is a simple lower-case, sans serif font that communicates a friendly, confident, and accessible portal that aptly conveys Cart’s mission to democratize e-commerce. The color palette is a fresh and optimistic “sky’s-the-limit” blue—exactly the mindset for companies hoping to achieve their full potential through cart.com.
Credit: 3D & Motion design by Sergio Beggiato
Impact
The company entered unicorn territory following a $60 million Series C round of funding to push its valuation to
$1.2 bn
“Thanks for your help in getting the Cart brand identity where it is today.
It sure is iconic and will only grow from here!”
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Omair Tariq, CEO & Co-Founder
Cart.com
It sure is iconic and will only grow from here!”
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Omair Tariq, CEO & Co-Founder
Cart.com
