Penumbra is a cross-chain network that allows secure transactions. Penumbra addressed us to develop a landing page before airdropping their new token.
Airdrop is a remarkable event. We wanted the landing page design to match this feeling, and to make the process of obtaining the tokens memorable. Penumbra’s team had a brand identity, so we used it as a basis for our storytelling.
Brand identity is more than just a guidebook prescribing a typeface and color palette. We treat it as a medium of the company’s values, narratives, and messages it conveys to the audience.
The company’s name and brand identity was our inspiration. Penumbra is a part of a solar eclipse; a truly magnificent event that has always fascinated people. We wanted to create an atmosphere of mystery and awe of the infinity of the space.
This vibe matches the storyline Penumbra created for their airdrop campaign. The company highlights the initial vision behind cryptocurrency: it started as a free network for people to exchange finances without excessive government control. As it gained popularity, regulations appeared, so cryptocurrency lost its very value.
Penumbra is to bring it back to life. The crypto chain gives out tokens as a sign of appreciation to those who help them along the way.
A user goes through an eligibility check to receive tokens. As in any fintech service, Penumbra’s user verification is a composite process with several states and conditions for eligibility. So our task was to develop a user-friendly experience despite the complexity of the procedure. During the design phase new features were added, such as referral flow and staking, so we updated the UX on the spot.
We loved working with such a creative team. Penumbra teased their audience before the airdrop by launching a game. We helped with the design and development of the site the game: https://sunshadow.codes/. After the community members solved all the puzzles, Penumbra revealed the link to the airdrop site.
The key creative solution in the web design was mesmerizing animations with a dark solemn celestial vibe. They back up the narration and add highlights to its most important elements.
The solutions we implemented for the final look of the website required competencies on the border between web design and web development. Konstantin Ostroukhov, the project’s art director, used the following tools:
Lottie is a software for rendering and launching vector animation in real-time. It’s a much more advanced technology than GIF, AVI, mp4, or HTML animation. We love Lottie for its adjustability. The animations are lightweight, which ensures a high speed of page loading.
Shaders are programs we use to create elements processed by the device’s video card. They are perfect for development of complex interactive animations. Konstantin used shaders to illustrate the peak moment of the registering process when the user submits the data to the system to prove they’re eligible for the tokens.
It took us 5 weeks from the first briefing to launching the website of the game and the airdrop.
The Penumbra team had a tight deadline, and we were eager to help them start the campaign on time. We worked in extremely short 3-day sprints and had regular calls; it was crucial to synchronize our vision and the results of work. A 6-hour gap in time zones was not a problem, we still managed to maintain excellent communication flow.
5 weeks
from briefing to launch
3-day
sprints
6-hour
gap in time zones
