The new look Granola
1. Project overview and background
- Brand: Granola (AI notepad)
- Target: Expanding the brand from a cold, AI-tech-centric image to knowledge workers more broadly
- Differentiation strategy: A rebrand and global campaign that avoids a cold, mechanical AI feel and instead foregrounds human warmth and emotion (the messiness of human progress), launched in San Francisco, New York, and London
2. Core design and branding (Identity)
- Logo & handwriting: A custom font based on the cofounder’s handwriting (Granola Script) and a hand-drawn-looking logo
- Typography & illustration: A chunky slab serif font and custom illustration style that feels cut-and-pasted to add a human touch
- Tone and manner: Branding that breaks away from conventional SaaS style and builds wit and emotional resonance (EQ)
3. Rebrand performance and outcomes
- Explosive growth: Immediately after the rebrand launched, it hit No. 1 on X (Twitter) trending and recorded its highest-ever download numbers
- Global ranking: Within a month of launch, it was named the world’s second fastest-growing software brand after Anthropic (based on Ramp data)
- Increase in company value: Three months after the rebrand, it raised $125 million in funding and reached a $1.5 billion valuation (about KRW 2 trillion)
