Vucko’s motion identity for Etsy is built on joy, simplicity and craft

Etsy has been around for over two decades and has become a significant online marketplace. We all know Etsy; we know why we go there and the sorts of crafty things we can buy or sell. And its brand has long been the same, it’s certainly recognisable, and perhaps even iconic. But it doesn’t necessarily behave in a way that speaks to the brand’s output, nor its potential. 

That’s why Etsy turned to Toronto-based motion and branding studio Vucko to shape its kinetic identity. It needed a consistent set of brand behaviours and identity infrastructure to meet all the needs of Etsy’s various teams and applications. “We wanted a shared motion language that could move comfortably between product, marketing and every other expression of Etsy,” founder Andrew Vucko tells It’s Nice That. “One source of truth for how the brand moves, wherever you encounter it.”

The brand’s motion north star became ‘discovering special’ and the goal was to create a distinctive attitude, regardless of the environment it exists in. To achieve this, Vucko established a trio of core values – derived directly from Etsy’s offering and community – that act as criteria for brand applications to meet: joy, simplicity and craft. “Joy is the feeling of finding something special, that sense of reward that stays with you,” Andrew explains, “whilst simplicity keeps the movement purposeful, direct and easy to follow.” Etsy’s third pillar, craft, provides the human quality that’s intrinsic to the brand, and the sense of intentionality and detail that’s associated with it. In tandem, this trio acts to provide a purposeful language for the identity without being prescriptive. As such, the brand can react and evolve whilst not steering too far away from its heart, nor be swayed by trends or gimmicks.

Practically, joy, simplicity and craft manifest in a set of gestures, behaviours and practices, all designed to work on the brand’s large scale. Vucko did a lot of research to accommodate this move. “There’s a lot to learn before you start designing at that scale,” executive producer at Vucko John Szebegyinszki explains, including how different teams approach creative work, how the latter is produced, and what role motion plays. “We open those conversations across the organisation, with the teams and the individuals doing the work.” From this position, Vucko could start to see the everyday realities and, indeed, ambitions, of the brand – both of which play a significant role. “They tell you where consistency will help and where flexibility is essential,” Andrew says, “getting to know those relationships gives us a much clearer sense of what we’re building for, and how the identity can remain useful as their needs evolve.” 

The success of Etsy’s motion identity comes from how it effortlessly accommodates the brand’s different departments, with the key being the range of expression the identity has at its disposal. “We wanted one core identity with enough flexibility to respond to each department,” John explains. “Product is generally more functional, but there’s still room for a moment of joy or surprise, and marketing can be much more expressive, while needing just as much clarity in what it communicates.” Across this spectrum, however, neither department is tethered to one end, as the kinetic infrastructure accommodates for creative judgement.

Etsy’s motion identity is indicative of Vucko’s system-led, detailed-oriented practice, where Andrew, John and their team embed a tremendous amount of care and thought into the structures of whatever project they tackle. “The brand, the people using it and what they need to achieve all shape that foundation,” Andrew says. “We bring our motion expertise, but listening is a big part of the job, that’s true whether we’re working with Etsy or a much smaller brand.” This attention to detail is evident in the underlying methodologies behind the scenes at Vucko, where ideas are openly shared and encouraged. “R&D and work in progress give everyone something tangible to respond to,” John adds, “and those conversations help shape the next iteration – that’s a big part of how we build alongside a team.”

This close dialogue between Vucko and its clients is perhaps the secret behind its success. As Andrew and John explain, the working relationships the studio shapes are of utmost importance. “There’s a lot to be excited about in getting to know a team,” John says, where together the two sides of any given project can explore the potential contributions of motion. “Some of our strongest identity and system work has grown out of those close relationships,” Andrew ends. “The shared understanding built along the way,” Andrew ends, “carries into how people use it, adapt it and help it grow.” This all culminates in the captivating kinetic projects, such as Etsy, that we see today.