Applause is reshaping the world of app development, challenging the norms and redefining what it means to support indie apps. Unlike companies that buy apps just to strip and resell them, Applause is committed to transparency, ethical practices, and genuine care for developers, setting a new industry standard. Their brand and website, crafted by Studio Freight, reflect this mission, standing out in the Tech and SaaS space while nodding to the golden era of technology.
Design Director Cole Londeree explains the brief was clear: “Position Applause as the best choice for app founders who want their work to be nurtured and grown, not just sold.” Early conversations revealed Applause’s preference for a more human, analog-inspired approach over cold, corporate personas.
“The brand’s link to early computing was central throughout the project,” Londeree continues, comparing Applause to the scrappy startups of 1980s Silicon Valley. “They focus on founders with original ideas that improve everyday life. Our goal was to honor this tech legacy without feeling derivative.”
Guided by Applause’s core values of simplicity and honesty, the typographic system is built on open-source fonts that are accessible and unpretentious. DM Sans forms the wordmark with its clean, geometric structure, while Garamond, often used in bold 1980s American advertising, adds warmth and a conversational tone. JetBrains Mono completes the palette, evoking early computing’s raw, democratic spirit.
“The logomark blends three iconic visual styles,” says Senior Designer Lídia Santos. The ‘A’ is in a classic Swiss typeface, alternating lines reference 1980s digital print, and rounded corners echo Apple’s UX principles — a symbol celebrating timeless, well-designed technology.
Drawing inspiration from early tech, Studio Freight leveraged engineering tools to create a contemporary digital experience. Even the web navigation nods to vintage interfaces, with JetBrains Unicode Glyphs as hover-revealed menu items.
Photography of the Applause team experiments with inverted effects and color overlays, reflecting the brand’s raw, edgy spirit. “The ASCII textures are a fun bonus,” Santos adds, “echoing the aesthetic of 1970s–’80s tech.”
Design: Studio Freight
