Circa 5000: Bold rebrand by Ragged Edge imagines a world where humanity is optional

The impact investment sector can be an intimidating, impenetrable place. And that's without taking ethical viewpoints into account. So to help people stop putting big money into bad places, branding agency Ragged Edge has imagined a future where humanity is welcome but optional.

The far-flung future that's free from humans is all part of a new visual identity for investment platform Tickr. Rebranded as CIRCA5000, the provocative new brand presents an arresting vision of the year 5,000, where the consequences of poor financial investments are made apparent via powerful images.

"The visual identity reimagines an evil future corporation as a force for positive change," says Ragged Edge in a statement. "The photography shows nature still standing, the logo shows the world still spinning, and the tone of voice asks a simple, powerful question: 'are we here for the future, or not?'"

In a sector known for its apparent "eco-blandness", CIRCA5000 certainly stands out from the crowd. Ragged Edge was tasked with creating a rebrand for the platform in order to help CIRCA5000 win what its founders called: "the fight of our lives". They weren't talking about profit margins either. It was all about safeguarding the future of this planet we all share.

It isn't the first step CIRCA5000 has taken to secure a better future. Since its launch in 2018, the platform has been democratising investment, with 80% of its users having never invested before.

On top of that, it's dedicated to creating "a liveable, prosperous future for humanity." In the last year alone, the companies that CIRCA5000 invests in have produced 832m MWh of renewable energy, provided 1.4b people with access to health treatments, and treated 6.8b cubic metres of water.

"Investing needs a serious correction, and humanity's at stake. This was not the time for another generic fintech brand," says Max Ottignon, Ragged Edge Co-founder. "To succeed, CIRCA5000 needed to change impact investing from a niche choice to a no-brainer. That's a big shift, and this brand needed to make a bold statement. To persuade everyone to invest in an intervention."

"Traditional impact investing doesn't have enough impact," says Tom McGillycuddy, CIRCA5000 Co-Founder. "It looks worthy and dull. It fails to inspire. This rebrand from Ragged Edge helps us show that it doesn't have to be this way. Investing is for everyone, and it can be used to create a brighter future for humanity."

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