Etsy
Turning a much-loved marketplace into a catalyst for discovery and human connection
Following a pandemic peak, Etsy found itself in a hyper-crowded digital marketplace with little room to stand out. To invigorate the brand alongside the growing business, Etsy needed to reintroduce itself as a catalyst for creativity, discovery, and connection. Not just a place to buy and sell.
SYLVAIN was brought in to weave the art of discovery through every element of Etsy—from visual identity to marketing assets to digital product. In an e-commerce space increasingly devoid of any humanity at all, we set the foundation for a brand and product that celebrates being human.
The core idea behind the new design system SYLVAIN created is: “A starting point for special.” It inspired a visual refresh and tone of voice anchored in the brand’s ability to connect the right people with the right items at the right moments.
First, we evolved Etsy’s logo around the most elemental shape: the square. The square is a functional container, but also a reflection of Etsy as the place to begin discovering unique pieces from around the world, as well as connecting with the humans behind them. It’s as if the logo were a button you could press to be right there with them. Inside it sits a bespoke wordmark, generous in its serif curves and playful proportions of each letterform. There’s a little something special in the rounded “y.”
“The square is a functional container, but also a reflection of Etsy as the place to begin discovering unique pieces from around the world, as well as connecting with the humans behind them.”
That square then served as the base for imagining an entirely new, comprehensive design system. It consists of a glyph set, graphic and photo silhouettes, an extended color palette supporting the iconic orange, and motion behaviors, each piece echoing the texture and character of Etsy's diverse seller community.
The design system has allowed Etsy to be more confidently Etsy in everything they put into the world. It empowers the team to create, feels accessible to customers, and unifies the broader brand story. We worked closely with our sister agency Upstatement to imagine, integrate, and socialize the system throughout all of Etsy’s digital products.
We wrapped our work by delivering tools including extensive brand guidelines and robust product and voice toolkits. The work is rolling out incrementally across Etsy’s marketing and product ecosystem for buyers and sellers.
