Stash is a personal finance app founded in 2015 in New York by David Ronick, Brandon Krieg, and Ed Robinson that allows users to invest small amounts in fractional shares of stocks and ETFs.[1][2] The company’s visual identity has evolved alongside its growth from a micro-investing platform into a broader financial wellness service offering banking, retirement accounts, and custodial accounts.[1]
Design and History
In 2020, Stash underwent a visual refresh led by Evan Brock, who described the work as “a visual refresh for Stash.”[3] Brock noted that the brand had been “suffering from an identity crisis” after five years of rapid company growth, with the visual system splintering as needs shifted.[3] The 2020 refresh took an “evolutionary approach, not revolutionary” to maintain continuity with the brand’s earlier identity.[3]
During the refresh, the team adjusted the logo, pared back the color palette, and simplified the tiered system of iconography and illustration.[3] The goal was to convey “greater maturity, while still exuding a youthful spirit,” enhancing gravitas to build trust while remaining relatable and humanizing the brand.[3]
Earlier, in 2019, a Stash product team member posted about a small app icon update on Dribbble, describing it as part of an app UI refresh.[4] The 2019 mobile app design was described as “decidedly minimal, with gradients and simple icons.”[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
Stash’s brand identity is built around accessibility and approachability for everyday investors. The 2020 refresh aimed to “focus and clarify our brand vision, identity, and storytelling” while returning to “the simplicity of our roots.”[3] The design direction emphasized emotion and a “sense of hope and possibility” to humanize the brand.[3]
Brand asset databases list the Stash app’s primary color as a cerulean blue with the hex code #02A0D7.[6] The wordmark appears in a lowercase sans-serif style, consistent with the approachable, non-corporate positioning the brand has pursued since its early days.[7]
Typography and Design
The Stash wordmark uses a clean, lowercase sans-serif typeface. The 2020 refresh sought to give the logo “a bit more weight” while making it feel “modern and elegant, but at the same time, it has echoes of retro as well as classicism as well as futurism,” according to a Built In NYC interview with Stash designers.[8] The refresh also pared back the color palette and simplified the iconography and illustration system.[3]
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