How did you come up with your logo, naming and branding? (Vision behind it.)
A day ago, I was talking to a friend about logo design.
TL;DR: how the Apple logo came to be – and how it wasn’t always the bitten apple we know today.
The first concept was actually Newton sitting under a tree.
And it got me thinking about how companies approach branding today.
People used to spend a lot of time thinking about branding, colours, visual identity, and how to represent the core message of a product.
But in the AI era, it sometimes feels a bit… rushed.
Like nobody really thinks it through anymore.
They just ask AI for a few concepts, pick the 4th iteration, and move on.
When it comes to my own SafeLimit logo, I’ll admit it: I left most of it to AI because, frankly, I think AI is a better graphic designer than I am. :DDD (it is a fact)... I did tweak the vector a bit, though.The blue colour was intentional because it suggests safety and reliability – and, of course, blue is also associated with LinkedIn, which is the platform SafeLimit is built for.The shield = protection from getting banned.The pulse = the state of your account based on your activity.So there is at least some reasoning behind it.
How did your branding come about?
Can you actually explain why your logo, colours, and visual identity look the way they do?
And does it even matter in a world where products are being built at an insane speed, almost like they’re coming off a conveyor belt?
Because honestly, if levelsio had spent ages perfecting the branding for every single one of his 70+ projects, he’d probably still be stuck on product #4, debating the best possible variations.
Replies
For LemmeBuyIt, the name came first and it basically named itself. It's the exact phrase that goes through your head when you spot a great deal: "lemme buy it."
I wanted the name to BE the moment the product serves. It's casual, it's how people actually talk, and it tells you what the product does without a tagline. I passed on a dozen serious-sounding names (anything with "price," "deal," or "scan" in it) because they all sounded like enterprise software, and shopping isn't supposed to feel like enterprise software.
The visual identity followed the same logic: modern and techy because there's serious product intelligence under the hood, but approachable because the whole point is making smart shopping feel effortless, not like operating a Bloomberg terminal. :)
Does branding matter in the conveyor-belt era?
More than ever, and precisely because of the conveyor belt. When ten lookalike products ship every week, features stop being the differentiator, they get cloned in a month. What can't be cloned is being memorable. A name someone repeats to a friend without checking their phone is distribution you don't pay for.
Branding isn't the paint job anymore, it's the moat.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@aidanquinn I think that the word (naming) for your solution speaks for itself. Have you already launched here? :)
@busmark_w_nika Thank you! That's the best compliment a name can get 😄
We have not yet launched product here, LemmeBuyIt's PH launch is coming soon. We are finishing up our roll out, I'll make sure you hear about it when it goes live!
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@aidanquinn When it is ready, feel free to message on LI :)
Ours had real reasoning behind it, just not weeks of it. The name "RezunateLLM" says exactly what we do: sit between LLMs and govern them. Additionally, the mark is three horizontal bars, because we're middleware, literally a layer sitting between your LLM.
Went dark for the palette (graphite, indigo, cyan accent) because we're a security/observability product, so needed to feel like a control room.
So some thought went in, just not a whole project's worth. Branding should reinforce the story, not become the story.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@samran_rezunate_llm Is this a logo?
@busmark_w_nika Yes, that's it. Does it read "middleware/security" to you at a glance? Would love an outside read on it before we officially launch on Product Hunt.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@samran_rezunate_llm To be honest, I couldn't understand what those 3 stripes mean. When it comes to security, I would be able to understand the "lock" icon.
In my experience, the name is more important than the visual identity when you're launching a new product. I actually run a brand design agency, yet I spent the least amount of time and effort on that piece of my product. I instead focused on finding a name that was defensible, with an available domain, and put the rest of my energy into UX/UI.
Once your product gains some traction (and valuable data/feedback), THEN you can come back to design a brand that speaks to the audience you've found.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@thomastherhombus This is the best solution. Naming + claim – try to polish as soon as possible, but first get users :)
App Finder
I did spent quite some time and thinking on my company name and logo.
I indent to use my company for all or most of my future projects, so I think that was time well spent.
I wanted name and logo beautiful, unique and simple.
Had several candidates for the name, and tried variations.
For the logo, made many drafts with pencil and paper, then constructed it with Inkscape, no AI.
I'm actually really happy with the result, hope other people will like it also...
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@konrad_sx does the word Skyica have any literal meaning?
My dog got a hoodie for Christmas! A picture of him wearing it was my test while I was developing my drive, so it was fitting that he became its mascot.
If anyone is interested in the original :)
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@tibor_hudik That's cute. What's his/her name? :)
@busmark_w_nika his name is Taco :) 12 year old crazy chihuahua :)
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@tibor_hudik Wow, you named it like a food :D why? :D
UXDesigner.top
I have to say that I used to do all of this work manually, including researching products with the same or similar names. Now, I use Claude for that initial research, and it gives me naming suggestions and recommendations based on available domains, similar products, meaning, and pronunciation in different languages.
After that, I start with a messy Figma file like this one, where I experiment with different colors, shades, symbols, and copy. Eventually, I land on something that works for me.
That said, I usually take this approach for early-stage products or side projects. Once a product is mature enough, I’m definitely in favor of hiring a professional brand designer.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@david_martin_suarez Do you also have a designer background? Because your process is well-structured and sounds like you are doing it professionally.
UXDesigner.top
@busmark_w_nika hehe Yes, I am a designer :)
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@david_martin_suarez In that case i need to learn from you a lot haha! :)
UXDesigner.top
@busmark_w_nika Haha, happy to chat if you need it! :)
I have probably looked at a 50+ guide talking about branding, color theory, what everthing means and got quickly overwhelmed. Then tiktok and instagram seemingly read my mind (or stalked me) and started showing me the insane ways claude code can one shot 3d animated websites. which was cool, but.... a bit of an overkill and probably doesnt convert.
So I decided to mirror my character and who I am as a person instead, actively ignoring all the advice and guidelines I read.
I love gaming and arcade aesthetics, and I feel like it works nicely with "AI" stuff. Cause for me, its a very exciting game.
Would love to know what you think of it as well! callosium.com
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@abdomk What does the word Callosium mean?
@busmark_w_nika Callosium = callosum + colosseum. The "callosum" part is the corpus callosum which is the bridge in your brain that connects both hemispheres, which fits since the whole idea is one shared memory across every AI you use, instead of each one forgetting you separately.
The colosseum is about the hypogeum which was the hidden network under the arena floor that fed every lift, trapdoor, and cue the crowd saw on stage, invisible the whole time. Which is the mechanic I had in mind while creating Callosium. Every AI you talk to is the performer on the floor. Callosium is the hypogeum underneath it, the structure that surfaces the right memory through the floor exactly when it's needed, then disappears again. You only ever see the show.
I know it sounds very philosophical, but it probably took me 30 minutes thinking about it, just went with what came across my mind at the time, and didnt overthink it too much.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@abdomk aaa, okay, I think that this is more insider thing for people who know how human brain works. :)
SlimSnap
Relatable. I've registered something like 6-7 domains chasing this. Started as a general screenshot tool, then narrowed to screenshots for AI coding agents specifically, then the positioning shifted again, and the name and logo got redone each time the direction changed. At some point I stopped treating branding as a big decision early on, picked something that wouldn't embarrass me, and moved forward. A great logo doesn't save a product nobody wants, and if the product does land you'll probably want to redo the branding anyway once you know who's actually using it.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@bickov That's true. Now, you need to first scale your product; then you can remake the branding to look more professional. The logo will not solve the main problem of the people :)
"Dropler" comes from "drop" — the idea that you just drop an idea (a prompt) and it turns into a real app, no coding needed. It reflects speed and simplicity: describe it, and it lands as a working React Native app.
The branding stays minimal and functional — we wanted the tool itself to feel approachable, not intimidating, since our users range from non-technical founders to developers looking to move faster.
Would love feedback from this community
Agree that branding doesn’t need to take months, but having a clear reason behind the visual identity definitely helps.
As I prepare to launch my cybersecurity/VAPT platform soon and am currently working on the branding, curious about the Product Hunt side of this too, does explaining the meaning behind your logo/colors in the product description actually help with engagement, or is it better to keep the description focused purely on the product and value proposition?
Would appreciate your advice from your launch experience!