YMax Contextual Ads Platform
Building the YMax Brand From Identity to Contextual Impact
Client
Yieldmo
Role
Brand Designer, UI Designer
Scope
Logo Design
Brand Guidelines
Typography & Iconography Systems
Motion Graphics
Print Graphics
Timeline
November 2025 - February 2026
Overview
YMax is Yieldmo's self-serve advertising platform, built to give publishers and advertisers direct control over their campaigns without sacrificing the sophistication that makes Yieldmo's ad formats stand out.
I came onto the project to establish the visual identity from the ground up, The core challenge was that YMax need to look and feel unmistakably connected to Yieldmo, while also having the ability to stand on its own as a distinct product, including the look, voice, and audience.
The solution was a design system that shared Yieldmo's DNA without copying its aesthetic. It needed a visual language and messaging framework that could live across marketing, product, and sales, while giving YMax its own identity and personality.
From there, my work extended into the product itself, designing interactive icon components and UI elements that could bridge the brand language with the platform experience.
Impact
+21% social engagement & viewership in the 3 months following launch
YMax, as well as YMax+, needed to feel like Yieldmo's shining star. It needed to be distinct enough to own its space in sports advertising, connected enough to carry the parent brand's credibility. I designed the system that makes both of those things true, and built it to scale from a press release to a product launch.
Logo Concepts & Development
The YMax logo went through three rounds of concepting with upper management and the CEO before landing on a mark that felt right for the brand. The final result is a clean, typographic logo with intention built into every letterform. most notably the Y, which was designed to subtly reference a funnel, relating directly to YMax's role in the adtech space.
Typography & Color
YMax's visual language is built on two strong foundations. Neue Machina Inktrap is a typeface that brings tech-driven edges with a bit of a quirky personality to the typography. The color palette takes a different approach entirely: rather than anchoring to one or two hero colors, YMax draws from a rich and bold spectrum. Each color is rooted in the broader Yieldmo palette, maintaining brand continuity while giving YMax the flexibility to feel bold, refined, energetic, or understated depending on the context. The palette is broad by intention, and one that gives the brand room to grow.
Print & Experiential
To introduce YMax to the industry, I designed a series of promotional posters displayed at Cannes Lions 2026, one of advertising's most high-profile stages. Each poster was built around a single proposition, translating the YMax brand voice into sharp, confident statements.
Social Media & Brand Content
To show the YMax brand in action, I designed a series of social assets that demonstrate how the identity translates across digital touchpoints, from animated loops that capture the energy of YMax in motion, to milestone moments that show how YMax and Yieldmo can coexist while keeping each identity distinct.
Motion & AI-Assisted Animation
With sports advertising as a key growth target for YMax, I developed a series of looping motion graphics that bridged the brand world with the sports vertical. The concept was rooted in YMax's "idea forms", the organic and ever-transforming color blobs shared with Yieldmo's visual identity, reimagined as transforming 3D sports balls. The animations were created using a combination of hands-on image editing and AI generation, resulting in seamless looping visuals ready for digital and social use.
Interactive Icon UI Components
To extend the YMax identity into the platform itself, I designed a set of interactive icon components that translate the brand's visual language into functional UI elements. These were incorporated into the YMax platform to showcase high-impact ad formats.
