Haven

For vDL Digital Ventures, we developed Haven: a new name, positioning and identity for technology that enables organisations to collaborate securely using sensitive data.

Client

vDL Digital Ventures

Industry

Technology

Region

Aschheim, Germany

Scope

Brand strategy, Naming, Brand identity

Duration2025–2026

Digital Haven campaign with the text 'A new way of sharing data' along a road

The situation

The technology solved a clear problem. The story around it was a lot harder to explain.

Organisations increasingly need to share data to collaborate and innovate. In sectors such as mobility, healthcare and finance, that often means working with sensitive information: data with commercial value, privacy implications or the potential to create a competitive advantage.

vDL Digital Ventures developed technology that allows parties to exchange data without handing everything over to a central player. Users remain in control of their data and identity, while the technology enforces the agreed terms.

To people already familiar with blockchain, the value was clear. Beyond that audience, the story quickly became tangled in technical language. The technology needed a brand that respected its complexity while making its value to organisations easy to understand.

From the sessions

The story mainly resonated with people who already understood the technology.

Open source built trust, but the commercial value still needed explaining.

Trust was built into the technology.

Haven is built on a clear conviction: data and identity belong to the people and organisations that use them.

For Haven, trustless means that collaboration does not depend on trusting a single central party. The technology enforces the rules around who gets access, what information is shared and under what conditions.

Its open-source foundation makes Haven transparent and neutral. That matters to consortia and organisations that need to collaborate without compromising their own interests or sensitive information. Tailored solutions then turn the technology into practical applications for sectors including mobility, healthcare and finance.

That thinking led to the idea behind the brand: Trust redefined. Trust becomes something that can be designed and technically enforced.

Woman working on a laptop from an open car with the text 'Trust redefined'

Grey Haven app icon with an orange notification badge showing the number eight

Orange document envelope in Haven's visual identity

A safe haven for data.

The name Haven comes from the idea of a safe haven: a protected place where data can be stored, shared and used securely.

The name immediately conveys a sense of security without tying the brand to blockchain or a single application. This gives Haven room to grow with new solutions, sectors and partnerships.

The wordmark is clean and compact. Its form is deliberately simple, giving the rest of the identity more room to move. Shapiro provides the typographic foundation. Its letterforms feel clear and technical without becoming cold or distant.

Typographic Haven visual with the text 'Trust redefined' on an orange background

Person holding a smartphone with the orange Haven website on screen

Website design for Haven with the tagline 'Trust redefined' and blurred graphic shapes

Orange Haven poster with the text 'Bespoke privacy solutions'

Woman working at a computer at a technical test setup

You can see how information is protected.

The visual language follows the same logic as the technology. Text and imagery are divided into fragments. Some elements remain sharp, while others disappear behind a subtle blur.

In this way, the identity shows that information can be present without becoming fully visible. Data moves between different parties while access remains controlled.

Beacon, the bright orange, gives Haven a recognisable face. Combined with black, white and shades of grey, it creates a palette that feels technical and precise, with enough energy to stand out in the sector.

Illustrations deliberately play a supporting role. They help explain complex processes without competing with the message.

Haven color palette with orange, black and various shades of grey

Presentation space for the Haven Hackathon with a large screen and rows of chairs

Orange banner for the Haven Hackathon 2025 on the facade of a brick building

Orange wayfinding sign with locations and arrows on a dark wall

Name badge on an orange lanyard worn over black clothing

One system, from interface to hackathon.

The identity was developed to work both digitally and physically. The fragments, blurs and orange color return across screens, print, clothing, wayfinding and presentations.

In applications like the Haven Hackathon, the system can be used big and bold. On a badge, envelope or business card, that same idea stays small and precise.

That keeps Haven recognizable, even when format, environment or message changes. The brand can explain something technical, carry an event, or simply show who the sender is.

Person viewing the minimalist Haven platform on a laptop

Haven website with the tagline 'Trust redefined' on a desktop monitor

What it delivered

A name with room to grow

Read the result

Haven is not tied to a single technology, product or sector. The name can continue to work as an umbrella brand as both the offering and the market evolve.

A brand that works at every touchpoint

Read the result

The identity creates one recognisable system across the website, presentations, events, print and other applications. Wherever it appears, Haven tells the same story about privacy, control and collaboration.

A story that goes beyond blockchain

Read the result

The positioning starts with a recognisable problem: collaborating securely with sensitive data. This allows Haven to engage people who do not yet fully understand the underlying technology.