Behind the Scenes of Addgene’s New Look

Check us out! This week Addgene rolled out our new brand identity, and we’re feeling sharp. We’re so excited to show you what we’ve been working on.

Addgene has been partnering with scientists for over 20 years. We’ve evolved to serve the changing needs of the research community over that time, but our image hasn’t always kept up.

Figure 1: Addgene then, Addgene now.

With this refresh, we now look like the organization we’ve become. Our new branding was created by our team of designers and shaped by feedback from Addgenies and our community at large. This post explores the choices that went into the design!

Holding onto what matters

The most important part of this change was knowing what not to change. Addgene remains a mission-driven nonprofit, grounded in a community of scientists sharing their work. Even while refreshing our image, it was crucial for us to stay recognizable and maintain the trust you have placed in us.

We also needed our branding to support multiple contrasting truths. Addgene is a nonprofit with academic roots and growing industry relevance. We are scientifically rigorous and warm and human. Our values haven't changed, even as we have grown.

Visually, we’ve kept our favorite color (blue!) front and center, lending our look some continuity. Our bright color palette was chosen to help convey our personality — Addgenies aren’t afraid to have a little fun!

Figure 2: Showing off our new style.

A memorable logo

DNA was an obvious place to start brainstorming our new logo. It literally underpins our DNA-derived products and symbolically communicates our genuine passion for science. Our designers sketched hundreds of ideas:

Figure 3: Logo brainstorming.

The winner shows a twist of DNA forming the letter A. It’s clean and modern, but still approachable. We like the subtle dimensionality the image manages to portray even in its simplicity.

Figure 4: Addgene's new icon.

You’ll be seeing this icon across our website, showing cohesion across platforms from our blog to our help center. We hope you’ll start to look forward to seeing it on your packages in the next few months!

Maybe our favorite thing about our new logo is what happens when you repeat it. Addgenies eagerly await branded socks featuring this pattern!

Figure 5: Addgene's icon form strands of DNA!

Plasmids, and so much more

Addgene started out as a plasmid repository. Over the years, we recognized that what we offer — validated tools, streamlined sharing processes — is relevant beyond plasmids. These days, Addgene also offers other materials like viral vectors and antibodies. Plus, we’ve invested in data sharing with our Data Hub and Developers Portal, because reproducibility and accessibility go beyond physical materials. Today, we reach more scientists in more contexts than ever before.

But not all our users were aware of these offerings… maybe because our previous branding was pretty plasmid-centric.

Now, instead of siloing materials by color-coding them, our new branding unites all the materials we offer under one color palette, along with an icon that can represent everything we do.

Figure 6: An ecosystem of coexisting materials.

Blugene’s new look

Addgene’s Blue Flame Award is prized among our depositors. Marking plasmids that have been requested over 100 times, it’s a recognition of tools that have made a large, tangible contribution to the scientific community.

Figure 7: Blugene!

Blugene’s new look symbolizes the innovation and collaborative spirit at the heart of Addgene. Embodying the blue flame, Blugene represents all of our materials, not just plasmids. Look for them in our educational and community-focused content, always ready to act as a helpful guide.

Figure 8: Blugene goes shopping.

Introducing ourselves in video

At first, our team opened the reveal video by trying to define the problem Addgene solves in a concise way. “Science moves fast” is pithy, but not precisely our purpose. “Science is full of logistical hurdles” is a truer statement of the barriers Addgene tackles, but doesn’t sound quite as nice.

We had a breakthrough when we realized that starting with friction wasn’t true to Addgene. Instead, we opened with an aspiration, shared by Addgenies and scientists everywhere. We all want to discover something — to build off what came before us and provide the foundation for what comes next.

Figure 9: The beginning of Addgene's brand launch video.

If you’ve never been to Addgene’s headquarters, we want to clue you in on a hidden meaning in the video. It opens on the Boston skyline, then spins to reveal two buildings. The first building, in red, depicts Addgene’s original headquarters! Symbolizing our evolution, it then turns to show Addgene’s current headquarters, where we moved in 2019 as we grew.

Looking forward

Besides looking snazzy, this refresh affirms how far we've come and how much more we can do together. Our new tagline, Powering Scientific Sharing, captures something we've always believed: that when scientists can easily access and share the tools they need, the whole field moves faster. As we grow, so does our ability to power that sharing — across more materials, more contexts, and more of the global research community.

At Addgene, we are dedicated to making great science easier. Let's accelerate discovery together.

Figure 10: Addgene's website: Powering Scientific Sharing.

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