I’ve not been able to shake the CMF logo, with its peculiar 3 parts standing out to me. A brand’s logo often represents something about the brand as a whole. With everything done by Nothing having shown specific reasoning and choices so far, this logo felt intentional and like there was a deeper meaning.
(Twitter Banner)
Looking back at the first 3 Instagram posts, my thoughts are confirmed, with each of the 3 dots representing “Colour”, “Material” and “Finish” in order. Not only this but together, they form the branding in a specific way without using an obscure initialization of “CMF”. Diving further than this, I believe each of the 3 dots indicates their respective word, without the need for the statement of “Colour, Material and Finish”
(Instagram Post)
Colour - The first dot is a hollow circle.
This could be seen as a colour dial/ring, used to visualise all the colours of the spectrum, but also the complete colour wheel as a whole. Taking into consideration any colour that best suits a product and its purpose, not specifically a white, black or orange.
Additionally, this is the only post of the 3 with a vibrant colour. We now recognize this use of orange as the staple colour to represent CMF or at least this initial phase of the brand and products.
(Instagram Post)
Material - The second dot is a collection of dots in the shape of a circle.
If we choose to interpret these dots as atoms or molecules, we can see the compound structure of the material in question. Materials are a grouping/cluster of compounds coming together to make a greater whole material. This collection of compounds makes up the second dot, which is the representation of a material at a molecular level. We can additionally see this as a collection of materials, with all being taken into consideration to make up the greater whole product.
An added thought now that I’ve had it pointed out to me and some further thinking on it, the dot positionings in this grid structure could also be seen from the perspective of 3 overlapping rings/circles (left collection of 8 dots making a circle, then the next 5 being a layer lower and another layer below that). This again echos the compound grid structure thought process, but also could be seen as how a collection of 3 circles make up a whole. All three elements of the logo come together as a whole as seen here, much like the Colour, Material and Finish making up the whole product.
The background of this post shows 2 differing overlapping shapes (potentially a third in the top left), these shapes also appear to have a leatherette finish. This image evokes the different textures that might be felt, from smooth, supple leather, to the shaded edge in the bottom right, or potentially a pillowy softness in the top left with how the shapes almost blur like overlapping clouds might. Additionally, we see the white colouring, which we now know is offered as part of the product line along with the Orange.
(Instagram Post)
Finish - The third and final dot is a solid dot
This shows a “complete” or “finished” dot, the final product with all things filled in, with the larger scale complete product as a whole. Not only this, but we could interpret this completed dot as a representation of the surface of a product, showing us its surface and how the finishing of the product impacts the experience a user has with a product.
The choice of grey used here again represents part of the product line, but notably, we see a gradient within the grey of the dot. This shading highlights the different parts of the dot, and how it contrasts against the grey background. The smooth transition lifts the dot from the image into 3 dimensionality, showing how the choice of a surface finish can impact the impression that a product has.
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Another thought, this collection of 3 dots “. . .” is used to represent an ellipsis in literature. By definition an ellipsis is used to “show an omission of words, represents a pause, or suggests there’s something left unsaid”. We could take this to mean “… by Nothing”, or “What is left unsaid by Nothing”. With the Smart Watch being something that has been sought after by the community for a long time, potentially we will see more of the products that the community show a desire for but aren’t within the scope of the Nothing brand. CMF provided this outlet for a product that could be produced by Nothing’s Team, but would have been passed over for larger projects.
Finally, to me, these 3 dots together as a logo represent all the the little choices and considerations that go into the manufacture of a product, and especially a product with it’s design at heart. In my opinion, this alone shows that while some may see CMF as “budget branding” of Nothing, there’s nothing budget about the approach to the design and decision-making.
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I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on the logo below! Did you interpret the logo differently? Did I skip a logical step that might have been illuminating?
