Lumai
A distinguished brand and website for a revolutionary start-up
OxONN, a technology spin-out from the University of Oxford, approached Silver with the ambition to become recognised as a world-leading optical computing organisation through its revolutionary technologies.
The optical computing phenomenon promises unrivalled speed (faster than the human brain even) and energy efficiencies when compared to traditional computing technologies. By using light, some very clever physics and algorithms, optical computing enables a number of calculations to be completed in parallel at near-to-light speed, which is perfectly suited for today’s artificial intelligence (AI) use cases whilst enabling new and exciting opportunities.
The objective
Following a consultative engagement, and with a goal of enabling OxONN to effectively communicate their story whilst standing out from the competition to gain the interest of customers, investors and future talent, it was agreed that a scope comprising a re-name, brand positioning, visual identity, explainer video and website was necessary to maximise the near-term opportunity.
Watch the Lumai explainer video
The solution
After a collaborative naming exercise with their team, Lumai (pron. Loom-eye) was chosen as it’s an amalgamation of ‘Lumen’, the unit of visible light emitted from a light source, and AI, the principal use case of their technology.
This name spoke to the core of their technology, leveraging the natural properties of light to power future AI workloads at transformative scales and speeds. The brand strategy was structured around a purpose-led narrative that would make their goals and technology easily relatable, yet as ambitious as their plans.
Creative rationale
The core of the brand identity revolved around beautiful compositions of light waves, inspired by the auroras, that have a sense of movement and forward trajectory. This was supported by a high-contrast colour palette and a logotype with lines similar to that of light wave properties.
The bespoke website was the centrepiece of our task which, along with the explainer video, expertly communicates the Lumai brand story to help visitors/investors instantly understand who they are – both the why, the what and the how at a level of detail appropriate given the subject matter.
The results
A comprehensive and massive brand shift from OxONN, a university spin out, to Lumai, a pioneer of optical computing technology with a strong web presence that marks them as bold, credible and purposeful innovators. Not forgetting duly deserved praise within the investor community.
"As pioneers in a technical field, yet uniquely supporting High Performance Computing and AI
as a whole, we needed an agile marketing partner who could best complement us in a number of areas. That’s exactly what we got with Silver. After an effective and collaborative engagement, we’re delighted to have a brand strategy and website presence that will support our ambitious growth plans, and helps us to stand out."