ascii branding & web design

We built a brand and digital presence for an early-stage startup from the visual identity to web-design — and keep evolving it through iterations.

Client
ascii
Industry
AI
startups
Services
Branding
Web-design
Digital Design
Link

About ascii

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Intersection of technology and digital world with art and music

Identity that could hold both the soul of the product and the personalities of the co-founders, so the brand felt as human as it was futuristic and courageous.

ascii co-founder
Kirill Makarov

Born from Ariana, an open-source foundation built by Anicet and Kirill, ascii evolved into an AI-powered pocket CTO — a platform managing cloud coding agents. The market agreed: 6x ARR growth and a $500K pre-seed, just weeks after launch.

To match that ambition, the identity was built on tension — gothic geometry meeting ascii texture, organic brushing against the algorithmic. A visual world as rigorous as the product it represents.

«We came with our vibes, Curves turned them into the unique and ambitious mix of gothic brutality, technological precision, and soft touch of nature and humanity»

Kirill Makarov

Kirill Makarov

Co-founder

Co-creation

We shaped the brand in parallel with the team as they shaped the product itself

Working in a fast-moving AI context, we explored multiple concepts to find the right balance between technology, creativity, and the founders’ own vision. The final identity grew from this exploration, combining the strongest elements from different directions into one cohesive system.

More than a visual layer, the branding became part of how ascii defined itself.

Design case study

Logo

The logo as a metaphor for the portal of transition to the modern digital world

We took as a basis the unique shape of the star, which conveys an atmosphere of mystery, and the branded square neckline as an open portal to enter the new digital world for users.

Our Concept

Chaotic ascii, art and gothic collage

Three worlds collide in a single experience — timeless drama of Gothic architecture, raw humanity of inspiring figures, and the cold precision of ASCII art — all funnelled through our portal where beauty becomes code. 

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Egor Sokolov

Egor Sokolov

Designer

Web-design

The landing page was built around the new identity from the ground up

Chaotic collages woven into the design as a visual technique, not decoration, but narrative.

Visit website

SMM media

Social media content took shape aligned with the new identity

Personal and corporate covers became the faces of the product in Linkedin & X, built around the personalities that inspire the client's team.

Assets

This project reflects how we approach large-scale digital systems:

Thinking beyond single internet launch, designing for real-world constraints, and building structures that can grow without breaking.

R&D

Let's take a look at our work and the stages.

Before developing a visual identity, we worked through many concepts

During the zero stage of preparation for the creation of concepts, we conducted a large survey of ideas and inspirations, creating first approaches and developing new concepts. The process was parallel in the discussion with the client and it helped to get feedback quickly, adjusting approaches and ideas.

Concept 1
Concept 2
Concept 3
Concept 4 (final)
Concept 1 — R&D board Concept 2 — R&D board Concept 3 — R&D board Concept 4 — R&D board
Light

Team

Management

Anna Egorova

Christina Chervotkina

Yulia Myshlyaeva

Design

Egor Sokolov

Lera Bukharova

Yana Karpenko

Motion design

Nastya Dobro