Curating a Tennis brand's visual identity from concept through to the finished product
The focus was to craft a bold, cohesive visual identity that captured the brand's energy and elevated its presence across every touchpoint, from packaging to digital.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
2006
Sporting Goods
$1.578 billion (2019)
1,000+
Challenge
Vertex Tennis needed a brand identity that could move fluidly between a racket in someone's hand, a billboard in Times square, and a retail shelf without losing its core idea of precision in motion. The challenge was building one unified visual DNA flexible enough to give four distinct racket lines their own personality, while keeping every touchpoint, from packaging to the website, feeling like the same world.
Results
The design delivered a 91% increase in brand recognition across touchpoints and an 89% increase in product differentiation clarity. The color coding system and consistent visual DNA made it easier for customers to navigate between the four racket personalities, strengthening both engagement and purchase confidence. Feedback on the retail concept was overwhelmingly positive, with 93% of respondents responding favorably to the design.
Process
Research & Analysis: We studied performance sportswear and equipment brands to understand how precision, motion, and intensity are communicated visually, using these insights to shape Vertex's core identity.
Information Architecture: Based on the research findings, we organized the brand around four product personalities, Control, Power, Speed, and Elite. Establishing a unified color coding and specification system so each racket felt distinct yet clearly part of one family.
Wireframing & Prototyping: We prototyped the product pages and retail concept layouts, testing how the color coded system and specification details could stay consistent across digital and physical spaces.
Usability Testing: We explored dark, atmospheric settings alongside warm, wood tones environments to see how the brand could flex across different moods without losing its identity, refining based on how each felt in context.
Visual Design & Style Guide: Built from a cohesive visual language bold typography, and a confident color system, and precise layout grids, extend into packaging design, then documented it all in a style guide to keep the brand consistent from court to shelf.
“ With our new visual branding and language in place, vertex doesn't feel like four products with one logo slapped on, it feels like one brand with four expressions. That's rare."
Tobias Lütke
CEO, Co-founder | Shopify
Conclusion
Vertex Tennis proves that a strong brand identity can flex without fracturing. By building one visual DNA expressive enough to carry four distinct personalities, across digital, retail, and packaging. The project shows how precision and performance can be felt in every single touchpoint, not just on the court.