JOÃO DE ALMEIDA

Senior Brand & Visual Designer, defining and elevating brand identities in competitive global markets.

Checksy

Redefining the perception of chess through a modern, vibrant, and accessible digital learning experience.

Client

Checksy Learning

YEAR

2024

THE CHALLENGE

Traditional chess platforms often feel antiquated, overly academic, and intimidating, creating a high barrier to entry for newcomers and younger users. Checksy needed an identity that could bridge the intellectual depth of the game with a welcoming, modern, and engaging user experience. The brand had to signify "smart thinking" without resorting to clichés.

THE STRATEGY

Our strategy was to inject dynamism and energy into a historically serious subject. We positioned Checksy as the "Agile Mind" platform. The core insight was leveraging the Knight piece, the most adaptable and strategically mobile piece on the board, to symbolize smart, non-linear thinking. This concept allowed us to build a geometric, clean, and memorable logo that is versatile enough for digital interfaces.

THE PROCESS

We initiated the process by defining the brand personality as "Encouraging, Focused, and Dynamic." The visual language development began with the custom geometric logomark. We then crafted a comprehensive color palette, pairing the core deep blue (representing focus) with vibrant accents (yellow, red, green) used contextually in the app to highlight learning modules and key actions.

THE SOLUTION

We delivered a complete, scalable brand identity system featuring the stylized Knight logomark and a flexible, dynamic color palette. The final delivery included a detailed style guide for implementing the identity across a forthcoming learning app, social media assets, and various profile formats. The resulting brand is immediately recognizable and successfully meets the goal of being modern, inviting, and encouraging for chess learners of all levels.

"The Checksy brand successfully takes chess out of the library and puts it onto the smart screen. The logo is sharp, the colors are engaging, and the entire identity perfectly captures our vision of making strategic thinking fun and accessible."

Ben Carter, Chief Technology Officer @ Checksy

JOÃO DE ALMEIDA

Senior Brand & Visual Designer, defining and elevating brand identities in competitive global markets.

JOÃO DE ALMEIDA

Senior Brand & Visual Designer, defining and elevating brand identities in competitive global markets.

JOÃO DE ALMEIDA

Senior Brand & Visual Designer, defining and elevating brand identities in competitive global markets.

JOÃO DE ALMEIDA

Senior Brand & Visual Designer, defining and elevating brand identities in competitive global markets.

© 2025 João de Almeida | All rights reserved.

© 2025 João de Almeida | All rights reserved.

© 2025 João de Almeida | All rights reserved.

© 2025 João de Almeida | All rights reserved.

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