Grounding the Made of Air Brand

Made of Air, a Berlin-based startup, has developed a revolutionary new carbon-negative thermoplastic. The material is produced using wood waste from forests and farms, in a process that stores more carbon than it emits. With their cutting-edge sustainable materials and a bold mission to disrupt resource-intensive, carbon-polluting business-as-usual, Made of Air is transforming products in the worlds of mobility, consumer goods and the built environment. In preparation for their next stages of growth, the venture came to frog for help launching a comprehensive new brand strategy and identity.

The frog team of venture design leads, strategists, visual and industrial designers, and a program manager worked closely with Made of Air to reflect the venture’s business objectives at each phase of research and design. Working in continuous collaboration with the founders, the team began by laying a strategic foundation anchored in key customer, ecosystem and value chain insights. Building on top of this structured brand framework, the team created a new visual identity and designed a complete system for expression across all verbal, visual and material embodiments of the brand. The result is a clear, consistent, recognizable brand identity and company positioning enabling Made of Air to accrue value and capture the attention of purpose-driven lead investors, mindful partners and top, diverse talent.

Setting the Foundations

The first phase of the frog + Made of Air collaboration involved setting strong, differentiated foundations for the Made of Air brand—from defining a core purpose, to solidifying a go-to-market strategy and aligning on a partnership vision. As Made of Air offers a revolutionary new material requiring clear explanation, it was also mission-critical to establish a precise-yet- accessible vocabulary and communication style for the brand and its offering.

Visualizing Climate Action

Inspired by the possibility of Made of Air’s signature carbon-negative thermoplastic, the frog team created rich imagery of the distinctive black material in various applications, from home furniture to architectural facades. These assets have become an arresting addition to Made of Air marketing and sales materials.

Over the course of the program, the team also worked together to tell the story of the brand through a radically new mark. The mark began with the six carbon ring of benzene, depicted by the hexagon. This shape was chosen and modified to evoke the carbon cycle—the process of carbon moving through our air, plants, oceans, animals, soil and back again. The broken hexagon of the mark reflects Made of Air’s commitment to helping reverse climate change by capturing carbon from this natural cycle and sequestering it permanently.

Driving Business Outcomes

Despite working remotely from homes and studios across Europe, the frog and Made of Air team maintained constant alignment on the program’s goals. The frog team helped Made of Air to distill its purpose to a single statement: ‘We are in business to reverse climate change.’ The new brand solidifies Made of Air’s position as an ambitious venture built on sustainable purpose, willing to challenge conventional thinking on environmental and climate action. At a crucial stage of growth, the new brand story rallies the team and their partners–and advances their multi-bottom line agenda. Reflecting on the collaboration, Neema Shams, Made of Air’s Chief Commercial Officer says, “Reexamining all that we did, it’s pretty mind blowing. We’ve already gotten a speechless reaction from a few of our board members.”

Listen to the frog + Made of Air podcast episode