project CONTEXT

In 2019 Neo4j launched Aura - a cloud offering based on its on-premise solution Neo4j. Aura lets developers take advantage of the best graph database in the world via a frictionless service in the cloud. It was the most important launch for the company. As the lead designer, I worked with leadership to develop a comprehensive brand identity to bring the product name and positioning to life.

understandinG
product PROMISE

I hosted in-depth sessions with product and marketing leaders to understand Aura positioning. Following the deep-dive sessions, I led a creative brainstorming worksop with a broader set of stakeholders to generate the list of primary benefits/ emotions that resonated most strongly with Aura’s value prop. The strongest idea that the team aligned on was the ease of using Neo4j with Aura. It was important for the Aura identity to scream ease of use while not drifting away from the brand.

A logo inspired BY
simplicity

I designed the logo focused on the core tenets of simplicity, ease of getting started and reliability. The final Aura logo is derived from the Neo4j logo - retaining the three nodes (circles) and removing every other element to emphasize simplicity. The gradient creates a halo which is a subtle nod to the product name Aura. The identity conveys the core product promise - Aura is the simplest way to use Neo4j.