Skip to content

Sublime Systems

A sustainable platform for groundbreaking tech

Sublime Systems is commercializing a breakthrough process to make low-carbon cement that performs as well as the current industry-standard product, but without the environmental cost. To develop a brand direction that felt like a fit, we struck a balance that suits their traditional industry while still paying homage to their innovative technology.

What We Did

  • Branding
  • Strategy
  • Web Design
  • Art Direction

What We Made

A diamond-shaped collage featuring four aerial images. Top left: a field with brown soil and green edges. Top right: a barren, cracked landscape. Bottom left: a densely packed urban area. Bottom right: a lush, green agricultural field with a single tree.

The concrete production process is a major source of C02—even worse than airplane travel. There’s a solution that’s simple, but incredibly difficult to actually execute: make concrete sustainable. Sublime developed the technology to make that possible, and they needed to position themselves as a leader to industry partners, investors, and potential hires.

A schematic drawing of a cylindrical object, surrounded by a series of blue rectangular outlines.

We iterated on their existing brand messaging to define the fundamental story of Sublime in a way that would be compelling across all of their different audiences. Future-oriented, action-driven language can both introduce the stakes and share their inspiring solution.

The website is structured to feel clean and straightforward, allowing the core mission and technology to unfold via an engaging and impactful narrative.

A set of three web pages from the Sublime Systems website. The first page highlights the importance of cement for humanity. The second features a large statement promoting sustainable cement. The third page features names and titles of individuals alongside a blurred image.

We created a striking brand system that gives a sense of Sublime’s huge potential. Their technological breakthrough is a big deal, with global implications, and it needed to feel that way. The visual identity is centered around expressing the scale of Sublime’s work. Imagery drawn from cultures and topographies around the world, and core brand photography from aerial perspectives, reinforces the scope of a sustainable cement product.

Three smartphones display various screens. The left phone shows a woman with text: "Leah Ellis, Founder & CEO." The center phone displays: "A form/fit/function replacement for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)." The right phone states: "Low-carbon cement—without compromise."

We also provided art direction and guidance around expanding the brand universe, guiding the production of a brand video and commissioning editorial-driven photography from Tony Luong.

A top row featuring concrete blocks, with variations in perspective and lighting, displayed against a blue background. The bottom row presents pieces of concrete broken into shards, gathered in piles, and larger chunks.

Environmental impact was top of mind as we engineered the new website to be as green as possible. The unique motion details were developed using sustainable animation principles, so the animations are as low-bandwidth as possible while still holding true to UX principles.

We came out of the project with a fresh appreciation for the interconnected technologies literally shaping our world. Learn more about the Sublime story here.