What does research visually look like?

Allora’s mission immediately drew us in—they don’t just sell products; they sell answers. Built on research, their work distills abstract concepts into clear answers.

Their logo, “Squid,” captures this perfectly: a visual metaphor for convergence, where threads of data and ideas form something cohesive. When tasked with creating brand assets, we wanted to extend that sense of transformation and synthesis into something dynamic.

What does research look like? It’s ethereal—undefined until it’s brought into focus. This inspired a visual experiment: representing research as smoke. Smoke is intangible and shapeless, yet suggestive. We imagined it flowing from the Squid logo, almost revealing it, with light shining through to add depth and tension between the known and unknown.

The animations and renders were stunning, but ultimately, the concept didn’t stick. However, it opened a new path. The smoke-like abstraction evolved into a flexible approach for branding Allora’s research projects. Using tools like MidJourney, we now create unique, generated imagery for each article—tailored visuals that echo the individuality of their insights.

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