Carta is an equity management and private capital platform founded in 2012 as eShares by Henry Ward and Manu Kumar. The company rebranded to Carta in November 2017, changing its name, domain, logo, and mission statement at once as it moved beyond cap table management into a broader ownership platform.[1][2][3]
Design and History
The 2017 rebrand from eShares to Carta was driven by the company’s expansion beyond its original cap table product. According to Carta’s own announcement, the new name was chosen to reflect the company’s mission of “creating more owners by mapping and expanding the ownership graph,” moving beyond the narrower equity-shares focus implied by the eShares name.[1] Carta’s about page further notes the name was inspired by the Magna Carta, which “laid the groundwork for legal rights to private ownership.”[3]
The visual identity work was led by Studio Mococo, the San Francisco-based brand studio founded by Gabrielle Muse and Martin Grasser in 2016.[4] Studio Mococo’s project page for Carta describes the brand positioning as “Infrastructure for Innovators,” represented through “a visual system of building blocks” that is dynamic and adapts to content.[5] Martin Grasser’s design portfolio confirms the same brand system description and lists the full design team, including Martin Grasser, Taylor Givens, Lilly Archer, Uan Jiang, Gen Ramirez, Zrinka Buljubašić, and Miguel Contreras Cruz on design, with Gabrielle Muse among the strategy leads.[6]
A later brand evolution occurred as Carta grew from a single product into a comprehensive platform. According to a Figma customer case study, Senior Visual Designer Xuefei Zhang led a rebranding effort, with initial creative direction from Studio Mococo, to represent Carta’s move to a platform and its commitment to being a long-term partner to customers. The rebrand took two months and included building a robust design system with set fonts, colors, and components, growing an illustration library to over 300 designs.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The documented meaning behind Carta’s identity centers on the concept of the “ownership graph.” In the company’s rebrand announcement, CEO Henry Ward explained that Carta is about mapping the interconnected structure of who owns what, from startups and venture funds to the individual people who ultimately hold ownership interests.[1] The brand system’s “building blocks” visual language, as described by Studio Mococo, reflects the idea of infrastructure supporting innovators.[5]
Typography and Design
Studio Mococo’s documentation confirms the brand system uses a defined set of fonts and colors, though specific typeface names are not disclosed in the available sources. The Figma case study confirms that Carta’s rebrand included establishing set fonts, colors, and components as part of a scalable design system.[7] Brand asset data lists the primary brand color as a blue tone (hex #5489AD, named “Hippie Blue”) with a light blue secondary (hex #E3EEF3, “Catskill White”) and black.[8]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
