The objective was to create a visual metaphor for BlackBerry AtHoc’s core value proposition:
Rather than relying on traditional technology imagery such as smartphones, dashboards, maps, or notification icons, I wanted to explore a more emotional and memorable visual language that could communicate:
My first exploration focused on abstract communication networks.
Visual references included:
These concepts effectively communicated connectivity and scale but felt highly technical and visually similar to common cybersecurity or IT infrastructure advertising.
What worked:
What didn’t work:
While researching examples of large-scale coordinated behavior in nature, I became interested in the phenomenon of:
Starling Murmurations
A murmuration is a flock of thousands of birds moving as a single intelligent system without central control.
This immediately connected with several AtHoc attributes:
Why Murmurations?
Unlike abstract network diagrams, murmurations communicate coordination emotionally and intuitively.
The visual demonstrates:
The flock became a powerful metaphor for AtHoc’s ability to transform fragmented signals into coordinated action.
The initial concept explored birds forming the BlackBerry AtHoc logo.
The goal was to connect:
Nature + Brand Recognition
What worked:
What didn’t work:
The next iteration explored:
Instead of birds forming a literal logo, the flock movement suggested the logo shape through motion and composition.
Improvement:
However, another issue emerged.
The flock looked beautiful but the communication message was not immediately clear.
The breakthrough came when I reversed the visual logic.
Instead of:
Birds → Form Logo
I explored:
Logo / Signal Source → Birds
This aligned more directly with AtHoc’s product story.
The concept became:
A single source activates communication that spreads outward to thousands.
One source → Many channels
One alert → Thousands informed
One coordinated response → Widespread action
This direction more accurately represented how BlackBerry AtHoc functions during critical events.
Source
A single trusted communication origin represented through a subtle signal source.
Distribution
Thousands of starlings dispersing outward through synchronized flight paths.
Scale
A wide aerial environment showing multiple destinations.
Brand Integration
The AtHoc orbital geometry appears subtly within the movement patterns rather than as an explicit logo reveal.
Visual Tone
The final concept was selected because it communicates BlackBerry AtHoc’s core value proposition in a more emotional and memorable way than traditional enterprise technology visuals.
Rather than showing technology itself, the visual demonstrates the outcome of technology:
Coordinated action at scale.
The murmuration became a metaphor for how AtHoc enables thousands of people, teams, and locations to respond as one connected system during critical events.
