Rumicat

Closer to a fanzine than a brand

And here’s a bit of how the branding for Rumicat came to life.

We felt a simple, honest newsletter service should look and feel… well, like a simple, honest newsletter service. And from all the SaaS brand language out there (the clever copy, the balanced growth strategies filling our timelines and inboxes), none of it felt right for Rumicat.

So the approach leaned closer to making a fanzine than building a brand. It started with TAKLOBO, an out-of-the-box heavy display face for the wordmark — shout out to John David Maza, its creator, and the good folks at Blaze Type.

An almost-scribble of a cat for the logo. A UI that feels a little weird and unexpected, but useful and welcoming. Wrapped in a simple palette: the warmest blue, a red pulled straight from los atardeceres tórridos de Barcelona ;) and a gentle peach.

Because underneath the look, the belief is simple: email is the biggest social network on the planet, and no one owns it. The internet still needs its quiet corners — places where thoughts unfold without fighting for a spot in someone’s algorithm. Rumicat is one of those corners.

That’s the feeling we hope people leave with when they come across it — welcomed, a little surprised, and glad it exists.

Year

2024

Client

Rumicat

Sector

Newsletter publishing

Role

Brand identity, illustration, art direction

Wordmark

TAKLOBO — John David Maza, Blaze Type

Palette

The warmest blue, a Barcelona-sunset red, a gentle peach

Website

rumicat.com

Put all these ingredients on the table and you get something that hopefully doesn’t feel like a big corp cosplaying as a cute brand.

Wordmark set in TAKLOBO by John David Maza, released through Blaze Type. Product screens & merchandise © Rumicat.

Rumicat — the logo, an almost-scribble black cat carrying an envelope, on red
For the logo we dreamed up an almost-scribble of a cat, expressive enough to convey emotions.
Rumicat — the cat waving hello Rumicat — the cat standing, tail curled Rumicat — the cat checking over its shoulder
Spot illustrations I drew for the team to drop into the UI layouts.
Rumicat — the cat surprised Rumicat — the round cat holding a fish Rumicat — the cat looking down, sad Rumicat — the round cat, whiskers out
Rumicat character poses.
Rumicat — the landing page, peach above and deep blue below: Send newsletters without all the poespas Rumicat — the about page, manifesto set in a warm serif Rumicat — create your newsletter, a short form on peach
A UI that feels a little weird and unexpected, but useful and welcoming.

Email is the biggest social network on the planet. 4 billion people use it. No one owns it. It’s still the simplest way to reach someone who wants to hear from you, without fighting over a spot in the algorithms.

The internet needs those quiet corners where thoughts can unfold naturally. Somewhere for the simple pleasure of connecting with readers who choose to be there.

We’re not interested in building another marketing automation platform or helping you scale and monetize your voice. Instead, Rumicat is something different: a space that honors the gentle art of personal publishing.

We’d love for you to give it a try.

The manifesto, as it reads on rumicat.com/about.
Rumicat — privacy settings: don't track opens or clicks, hide from public, export your data Rumicat — subscription confirmed: from now on, you'll get Amazing Love Letter in your inbox
Privacy written in plain language, because that is the product. Handled with care by Rumicat.
Rumicat — sand-coloured tee held up in a Barcelona stairwell, small cat embroidered on the chest
The tee, front: a small cat embroidered on the chest.
Rumicat — back of the tee: THANK YOU FOR THE FISH, with the cat lying down
Thank you for the fish T-shirt.
Rumicat — unused shirt design: the TAKLOBO wordmark in blue across the chest Rumicat — unused shirt design: a small yay pocket mark Rumicat — unused shirt design: a small yo! pocket mark
Shirt designs that didn’t make it.
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