New York Life: Madi

Brand Identity

Art Direction

Main activities

Branding

Logo, Brand identity

Graphic Design

Visual Style, Typography, Layout , Colors, Print

Madi is a comprehensive design system that ensures consistency across New York Life's diverse digital products. I contributed to developing a sophisticated brand identity that reflects Madi’s deep connection to New York Life’s long-standing commitment to financial security, trust, and stability. Inspired by the architectural details of the iconic New York Life building on Madison Avenue, the branding embodies the legacy and enduring promise New York Life has upheld for over 175 years.

Art direction

To initiate the creative process, I explored connections around the name Madi, identifying key elements of inspiration. The iconic New York Life building—with its Art Deco details, gold accents, and intricate patterns both inside and out—served as a primary source of inspiration. This sparked the idea of using a modular system, where components function as building blocks, reflecting how the design system operates.

Visual Hierarchy through Altitude

One of the challenges we faced was to make the visual language adherent to the complex nested hierarchical nature of the Design system. The goal was to visually mirror this hierarchical system.

To solve the problem we relied on visual altitude as a differentiator. Starting from ground zero, the base, and ascending with increasing complexity. Building up intricate systems with each upward level. Altitude reinforces the concept of our design as building blocks.

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The Logo

The Madi logo draws from Art Deco elements, New York City's architectural grid, and the Golden Ratio, blending these inspirations into an abstract yet cohesive design. Inspired by the name Madi, the logo features unique letterforms and fits seamlessly within the New York Life brand family. It symbolizes more than just a branding system, representing the collective effort behind the framework and the legacy it upholds.