Behind the scenes: building the SmartTec brand
Why we refreshed the brand, what we kept, what we threw away, and how the design system ended up looking like a battery manufacturer's spec sheet (in the best way).
If you've been following SmartTec, you've noticed we look a little different today. New colors, new type, new product framing. Here's why.
What changed
When we started SmartTec in 2023, we were selling battery systems. The brand looked the part — heavy industrial, very utility. Then we added compute. Then we made compute the lead product. The old brand didn't fit anymore.
The new positioning
SmartTec is now a battery-backed AI cloud. NVIDIA and Cerebras compute on batteries we build. The brand had to say "modern cloud infrastructure" while keeping the technical credibility of the hardware story.
The design system
Greptile.com was the visual reference — clean, technical, slightly retro. The hex buttons and edge marks are nods to circuit board design. The ruled-paper background is a nod to engineering spec sheets. The green accent is bright, energetic, distinctly ours.
The mascot
Meet Sparky. He's a battery cell with a face. He represents the personality of the company — friendly, capable, slightly nerdy. He's on the homepage, the announcement banner, and the loading states. He'll show up more over time.