Architecting an identity for the alternative CMS.
The YC and Google backed startup is disrupting the CMS ecosystem with a free and open source alternative that’s more flexible and powerful than the SaaS incumbents.
Payload was already our agency’s content framework of choice for our most ambitious React projects. So we were thrilled to design the new Payload logo and typographic system in time for their highly anticipated 3.0 release, celebrating their transition into the backend to build the modern web.
As Payload is meant to be built upon, we wanted the type to hold its own, but never clash with the logo or color palette of a customized Payload installation. Deliberately crafted to be beautiful, but indistinct, the Untitled Sans family by the Klim Type Foundry was the perfect choice.
We typeset the new Payload wordmark in Untitled Sans with custom kerning and outline work. The new icon represents a more literal manifestation of the “network payload” design, but with broken lines to highlight the open nature of the content framework, contrasting it from vendor-locked SaaS solutions.
As an architect and skateboarder, I drew passion from clean, systematic lines and the iconic Santa Cruz logo. I imagined spinning it as fast as possible in 3D and taking a snapshot of it mid-motion, resulting in a dynamic yet structured design that feels alive, layered, and timeless—capturing the energy of movement and the precision of form.
In the new icon, I’ve integrated the old one in the creative use of negative space. If you look closely, the original shape is still there, subtly woven into the design. The result is a bold, versatile identity, perfectly suited for developers building the future of the web.
Payload’s logo embodies freedom, innovation, and adaptability—a vision rooted in movement, creativity, and precision. I’m proud to have captured this balance and contributed to its evolution.
— Johnny Lemoine, candycode