02 // Empathize & Define

Our team began a short period of intensive research into crowdfunding and equity investing. We defined key terms — equity, dilution, valuation, shares, IPO, accreditation — to better understand the investing space. We looked at various online platforms, including ten of the leading equity and/or crowdfunding sites: Kickstarter, Fundable, Crowdcube, Seedrs, Crowdfunder, EquityNet, Wefunder, Indie Go-Go, RocketHub, and Flashfunder, examining each for content, voice, and design.

Across the ten sites we analyzed, there were several commonalities: a predominantly blue color palette (symbolizing stability and trustworthiness) with warm accent colors in pink and orange [red was largely avoided because of its association with danger and–more specifically–unprofitability], large homepage imagery and (with the exception of crowdfunding outlier Kickstarter) a serious, business-like tone aimed directly at the accredited investor audience.