Tether
Unstoppable together
Turning the largest stablecoin into a digital disruptor
Challenge
Tether was founded by a group of Bitcoin enthusiasts and early adopters passionate about facilitating the use of fiat currencies in a digital manner. In 2014, the company launched a blockchain-enabled platform aimed at disrupting the conventional financial system with a more modern approach to money. By introducing a low-volatility solution with price stability to traders and merchants, Tether quickly gained notoriety and widespread adoption within the industry.
As its popularity grew in the fintech space, Tether seized momentum and ventured into areas such as sustainable energy, communications and education, sharing the same initial vision of fighting for self-sovereignty, freedom of speech and data privacy of its users.
Recognizing that it had outgrown the original brand, we collaborated with Tether to help the brand shift from stablecoins to a digital infrastructure company, encompassing the newly created verticals and services while expanding its story of a force to be reckoned with in a digital future.
Insight
Central to Tether is its daring spirit of independence. This initial insight was then expressed through the hero-villain analogy. As Tether became a hero to its users, traditional institutions being disrupted saw the brand as a villain. Tether needed to embrace both sides of its character to forge ahead with authenticity and distinction instead of conforming to the status quo.
During our discovery phase, we conducted stakeholder interviews to capture internal ambitions, which were subsequently triangulated with cultural trends and competitor analysis to arrive at possible positions for the new brand.
The chosen path was to be ‘Unstoppable, together,’ capturing Tether’s role in imagining alternative systems that unblock progress and serve the greater good. Its commitment to community-based solutions and decentralization was the connecting thread for our ‘togetherness’ angle––a nod to Tether’s use of technology to advance humanity.
Answer
In today’s landscape of traditional infrastructure systems, ‘usual,’ ‘expected’ and ‘conventional’ are the norm. We aimed to challenge this by highlighting Tether’s unique, unexpected and unconventional approach, embracing the remarkable power of their ‘un-ness.’ The visual identity we crafted with Tether reflects this ethos. Without unnecessary decoration and complexities, the visual identity communicates a clear and straightforward message—with Tether, there’s a different way forward.
With Tether, it’s not about adhering to business norms—it’s about embracing a new standard characterized by ingenuity and challenging the norm. Their new identity positions Tether as a symbol of progress and disruption in the industry, offering a refreshing alternative to the status quo. For Tether, it’s business as unusual.
*Creative and copy content featured below is conceptual.
The Tether logo
The logo strikes the right balance between
simplicity and craft. Undecorated in its style,
it celebrates Tether’s unconventional approach.
The characterful full stop adds a purposeful,
definitive nature to the logo.
Leveraging the power of ‘un’
‘Un’ serves as a dynamic foundation for the
brand, empowering Tether’s tone of voice to
embrace the unusual, echoing the brand’s free,
fair and fearless principles.
Headlines and copy radiate boldness and
confidence, showcasing Tether’s products and
services with unmistakable energy, fostering
connections without barriers, and encouraging
audiences to discover solutions tailored for
unlimited opportunities.
An imagery approach for all
Tether embodies a fearless spirit, daringly
reimagining conventional norms and systems for
the greater collective good. With this ethos in
mind, the integration of AI into their creative
process to craft custom assets felt instinctive.
A consistent and considered content prompting
approach was developed to empower the Tether
team to generate diverse, eclectic content,
spanning from everyday to extraordinary,
capturing the essence of the business offering in
an unexpected and unforgettable way.
The digital experience
In collaboration with Tether, we wireframed the
website architecture and created a digital style
guide to ensure a seamless brand transition at
launch. Working closely with the Tether team, we
co-created pages, refining messaging for maximum
impact and introduce distinctive micro-interactions
and dynamic behaviors, extending the brand’s
expression and adding another layer of character
and detail to the Tether experience.