PiJuice

Raspbery Pi is a low-cost, pint-sized computer designed to “advance the education of adults and children […] in the field of computers”. The potential of the little machine did not go unnoticed by hobbyists and inventors, and its wild popularity today is matched only by the diversity of its applications.

East Sussex-based Pi Supply specialise in modules that augment the pocket-scaled system, initially gaining success with their eponymous power switch.

The company approached Rook Design to create a visual identity for their new product, PiJuice, a battery pack for Raspberry Pi whose production was to be crowd-funded via Kickstarter.

The seemingly simple icon hides a precise grid structure befitting of a quietly powerful computer. Strong outline became a driving design aspect as the icon will be etched onto circuit boards, which allow for tiny detail but restrict to a one-colour palette.

In designing the logo I drew from the obvious allusions to the titular fruit and an existing trend of clean, bright icons used to represent the multitudinous modules. The icon had to become part of a instantly recognisable family, as well as standing out from a plethora of competing products.

PiJuice not only reached its Kickstarter target but collected more than twelve times the intended total. Production begins in May 2015.