Building trust for a new way to pay
Diem set out to build a global, blockchain-based payment system that could run at internet scale and still follow the rules of international finance. It started life at Facebook as Libra before it became Diem. Nobody had done anything like it before.
Big ambition came with big scrutiny. We worked with Diem to help regulators, developers, partners, and the public understand it, and then trust it.
The context
With the whole world watching
- Regulators in many countries, all paying attention
- Deep technical complexity
- A bright public spotlight and plenty of political sensitivity
- A need to sound credible without overselling
The role we played
A long-term partner with a steady hand
Starting in 2019, we worked with Diem's executive leadership to stand up the team and take it to market, from content to digital. That meant mapping a competitive landscape that barely existed yet, and keeping the vision sharp while respecting the realities of finance, regulation, and governance.
When the stakes are this high, restraint is a design choice. We made it on purpose.
What we built together
From protocol to public platform
- Brand and messaging grounded in credibility and restraint
- A global website explaining Diem's mission, governance, and technology
- Simple structure for some genuinely complicated blockchain ideas
- Explainer videos that made the platform approachable
- The Move developer site, to help the ecosystem grow
- Letterpress business cards and physical Diem tokens, because some things should be held
- A merch shop that built community without undercutting the seriousness
All of it supported Diem Networks and the Move programming language.
The outcome
A platform built to be taken seriously
- A vision regulators, partners, and developers could follow
- A credible global presence under intense scrutiny
- Good documentation and tools for developers
- One consistent brand online, in print, and in person
The takeaway
In new financial systems, trust comes first.
Before anything else, a new institution has to be taken seriously. Design is a big part of how it gets there.
