Latent Logic

Brand identity and website for an autonomous-vehicle simulation company, later acquired by Waymo.

The project

Latent Logic, a spin-out from the University of Oxford, built simulation technology for self-driving cars, using machine learning to recreate how real people drive, cycle and walk.

It needed a brand and a website to explain that work clearly and give a young company a confident, credible presence.

What I did

Logo development, identity and the website design and build. Latent Logic was later acquired by Waymo.

The identity developed through an exploration of networks, signals and letterforms. Across successive rounds, intricate graphic directions gave way to a compact symbol built around the company’s initials.

Outcome

The finished mark brings together two interlocking L forms, contrasting blue tones and a tall, open wordmark, in horizontal and stacked arrangements.

The Latent Logic website on a phone: Autonomous Systems that Model Human Behaviour.

Exploring connection

The early studies approached connection in several ways. Circuit-like pathways created intricate networks. Fine lines converged into an abstract central symbol. Waveform-like patterns introduced rhythm around the company name.

Each direction offered a different balance between image and typography. Presentation studies placed these ideas on light and dark backgrounds and in application mock-ups, extending the exploration beyond the isolated logo.

Exploration: the name with circuit-like network pathways. — Networks / Connected pathways

Exploration: fine lines converging into a central symbol. — Convergence / A central meeting point

Exploration: waveform patterns around the company name. — Signals / Rhythm around the name

Six early symbol studies in navy: joined dots, a balance bar, a grid of dots forming an L, a head with signal bars, a network brain and interleaved bars. — Early symbol studies

The network direction tested on business cards. — Concept application: testing the network direction in context.

Bringing the initials into focus

As the work developed, two strands remained visible: experiments with flowing and stepped signals, and a symbol formed from paired L shapes.

The LL direction brought the company’s initials into the graphic itself. Its curved paths and contrasting endpoints retained a sense of connection while creating a more compact form.

Construction studies explored thin and heavy strokes, circular and square terminals, and different relationships between the two letters.

Study sheet of flowing and angular signal lines. — Flowing and angular signals.

Construction studies of the LL symbol: thin and heavy strokes, round and square ends. — The initials become the symbol.

Finding the right relationship

The symbol and name were tested in several arrangements: placed between the words, paired with a stacked wordmark, and contained within a square.

These studies changed the emphasis of the identity. Central placement integrated the symbol into the name; positioning it alongside the stacked words gave it a more independent presence.

The final arrangement places the symbol beside the wordmark, separated by a fine vertical rule.

The symbol placed between the two words of the name. — Integrated with the name.

Paired with stacked typography.

The symbol contained within a square. — Contained within a square.

Small changes, distinct character

The later rounds concentrated on smaller distinctions. Stroke weight, spacing and terminal shapes changed across closely related alternatives.

The final symbol pairs square terminals on the blue L with rounded, tapered terminals on the navy L. That contrast gives the two forms individual character while keeping them connected within one mark.

A narrow wordmark and generous letter spacing complete the composition.

Selected alternatives from the final study sheet.

Refinement option without a divider. — Option 1 / Without divider

Refinement option with a divider between symbol and name. — Option 2 / Introducing separation

Refinement option with softer terminals. — Option 3 / Softer terminals

Refinement option exploring stroke weight. — Option 4 / Exploring weight

Beyond the mark

Alongside the logo, the brand exploration considered typography, supporting colours and tinted photography.

An extended line graphic carried the curved paths and endpoints into a larger composition, exploring how the identity could move beyond the mark itself.