Kopa is a mid-term rental marketplace that was first utilized by university students temporarily moving to the Bay Area for internships.
The company was previously named PadPiper, but as our audience grew from interns to traveling nurses and other types of nomads, we changed our name to Kopa. This name change prompted us to elevate our visual brand and differentiate our look in the crowded real estate market.
Create a brand system that is recognizable, communicates its mission and beliefs of belonging and exploration, and is easy to execute for our fast-paced, YC-backed, pre-product market fit startup.
Kopa
2 months, part-time (2019)
Designed in collaboration with West while in-house at Kopa
A welcoming logo. The logo is grounded, and each character has its own quirks and imperfect counters. The arm on the "k" is meant to be just that—an arm that waves and welcomes renters into new places. The perfectly circular "o" represents the whole experience of renting and finding your community.
Simple and human typography. We chose Soleil (meaning "Sun" in French), a geometric sans typeface highlighted by its asymmetric counters, giving it a warm and friendly feel. Soleil's tall x-height makes this a perfect typeface for all sizes and applications.
Differentiating the palette. We started our color exploration by doing an audit of competitors. We chose colors that felt like home — a combination that might remind users of a fresh take on an earthy, perhaps somewhat-dated home on a sunny day.
Focusing on humans through illustration. We worked with a UK-based illustrator to create graphics of people interacting with each other and everything that surrounds them in and around their homes. Utilizing our warm color palette, focusing on real-life scenarios, and using a hand-drawn approach gives the illustrations a branded feel that helps users understand what Kopa does.
Introducing the concept of "the path." Much like our renters are diverse, their experiences are different, too. We communicated this with the use of a path. Some paths are straightforward. Some leave you unsure of where you're headed. Some go in loops. Paths can lead anywhere—to a new home, a new opportunity, a new love, a new sense of self.
Pulling it all together for a new homepage. We utilized all elements of the new branding and introduced rounded corners to tie into the friendliness of the logo. We kept the color palette minimal because most of the visuals were photos of apartments that had their own unique palette. Since we weren’t redesigning other landing pages, we updated our design system so all other pages reflected the base styles like typography and button colors.
Updating the brand allowed Kopa to gain trust and respect from property owners and managers, renters, and investors. The new brand was unveiled at TechCrunch Disrupt 2019, where Kopa was named a "Top Pick" company.
Over the following two years, Kopa grew from 200 listings to 10,000 across the United States.