Words & Visuals: Paprika, Stephanie
Editor: Tina
“Places like rest stops, stairwells, trains, parking lots, waiting rooms, airports feel weird when you’re in them because their existence is not about themselves, but the things before and after them.”
When David Bowie released Station to Station in 1976, it quickly became a global sensation. The album was not only a transitional piece for Bowie’s career, but also an engine that powered young artists to a new phase of funk rock experimentation. In a way, a well-designed public transportation — London Underground, New York City Subway, Tokyo Metro — is akin to an artistic masterpiece. Its existence connects different worlds and perspectives, enabling new ideas to transcend its physical boundaries and fuel creative experimentation.
Station’s vision is to make pursuing meaningful work accessible to everyone. We’re progressing towards that vision by building on-chain infrastructure to increase the mobility and productivity of internet contributors. Our visual system takes inspiration from various sources and mediums that symbolize such fluidity — from the physical Shibuya metro station and Luis Barragan’s emotional architecture to Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion and Bowie’s Station to Station album cover. The amalgamation of worlds delineate a distinct identity that’s simultaneously unique to Station and fluid enough to contain diverse expressions and individualities.
The future we’re building is a tribute to our present and past. Bringing this concept into the logotype, the railroad-inspired angular ‘t’s are transformed to a grid that creates a canvas for future ideas, creations, and possibilities.
Our color palette and media choices draw inspiration from 90s anime series, notably Neon Genesis Evangelion’s experimental visual direction that blends together abstract animation, flashbacks, and line drawings.
ABC Favorit’s hidden subtle quirkiness add just enough distinctive touches to its geometric rigidity without overpowering the varieties of expressions that Station facilitates. We also utilize Lo-Res-Nine to add an extra punch to the quirks of ABC Favorit, mimicking the LED announcements at train stations and driving the train metaphor home.
The language of connectivity in public transportation is a constant inspiration to Station’s brand. We employ a set of icons usually found in public transportation systems’ wayfinding to generate unique combinations, giving variety and uniqueness to each Station Ticket NFT.
This reflects our role in the ecosystem — working with values-aligned “Terminals” to connect talent with opportunities and facilitate the value flows, building the rails of the new digital cities on the horizon.
For sub-brands, we use an arrow and the logotype as connectors to tie different visual variations with the main Station brand so it feels consistent, yet distinct to each initiative.
The most lively train stations are filled with street musicians, colorful murals by artists, bustling commercial centers, as well as local bazaars. We want to dedicate a space for artists and designers from all corners of the Internet to showcase and amplify their craft from day one. Our first showcase area is on Station Platform’s landing page, currently featuring our inaugural Artist-at-Station, Lili Tae. Lili is a Bangkok-based illustrator who translates her subconscious mind and images that appear in her dreams into mellow strokes and soothing yet vibrant colors.
Overtime, built upon a shared public infrastructure, we envision the Station front-end to be a collection of imaginations from our community.
Our environment holds an enormous power to transcend one’s imagination. As one of the main gateways to the new genre of work, Station looks to craft a digital space that awakens, facilitates and celebrates creativity from all corners and edges of the Web.
If you’d like to showcase your work on Station or contribute to shaping Station’s visual language, submit your interest to join the Waiting Room for Brand Identity Initiative here. Meanwhile, you can explore our visual journey via Station moodboard.
The future of work is coming, and we are all its contributors.
We invite you to become a contributor to the Station protocol or to participate in our research efforts through Newstand, Station’s publication focused on exploring the possibility of work in an era of hyper connectivity and fluidity.
Station Newstand is open 24/7. We’re inviting writers, artists, and researchers across all disciplines to push forward radical imagination around the future of work unlocked by crypto. To apply, simply connect your wallet to Rinkeby Testnet, create a profile, and attach a link to your writing sample.
