In a display of creative experimentation and technical finesse, the Lippincott team reimagined DigiKey’s identity, earning the Gold Award in the Graphis Design Awards 2025 with a campaign that blends schematic precision with playful design. By distilling the brand’s rich legacy into a fresh visual language—complete with custom typefaces, dynamic layouts, and a clever new tagline—the project celebrates the intersection of art and engineering, proving that creativity is as much about rigorous insight as it is about innovative expression.

By: Thom Finn, Design Partner, Lippincott

Engineering and product design are not precise sciences. There is not a straight, mathematical line from whiteboard to delivery. Instead, deep technical knowledge goes hand-in-hand with play, experimentation, and creative problem-solving.

DigiKey has long known this fact and has been a part of the community of designers and builders who live this truth. One of the world’s largest shippers of electronic components, DigiKey is also among the most beloved. Their solid relationships with suppliers, customers, and partners, along with their specialized know-how and a culture of going the extra mile, set them apart. Whether you’re a garage tinkerer or part of Apple’s R&D team, if you need a component, DigiKey is the place to go.

But even with all that love, old perceptions were holding them back. DigiKey wanted to grow its offerings in the US and internationally but needed to step up its game with a modern, digital-first brand. Our goal was to honor the strong connections they’ve built over the past 50 years while also attracting new generations of designers and builders.

We started with an idea and sharpened it into a clever new tagline: We get technical. This phrase celebrates DigiKey’s wealth of expertise and technical know-how. It also means that DigiKey just gets it. They know their customers. They understand their work. They speak their language.

This insight inspired the new visual expression—speaking to the technically-minded in their own visual language of schematics, specs, and diagrams. We created a fresh look drawn from the products that DigiKey is known for—capacitors, computer chips, batteries, bolts, and more—to express the technical expertise and reliability their customers count on. Simplified to their purest forms, familiar component silhouettes are used to highlight products, elevate imagery, and create dynamic layouts that capture DigiKey’s passion and joy for the design process.

The classic logo evolved to match. By removing unnecessary shapes and shadows, we distilled the DigiKey logo down to its engineered essence, making it more suitable for digital use.

Illustrations, icons, infographics, and motion graphics were all crafted to be informative and engaging, mimicking the style of technical drawings and schematics.

We commissioned a customized typeface that balances scientific precision with a touch of personality. Together, with a color system led by their signature red and browns inspired by DigiKey’s iconic shipping boxes, we built a look and feel that marries the technical, the practical, and the fun.

With the new visual branding in place, we developed a voice to keep every communication true to the friendly expertise of DigiKey’s team: humble yet confident, friendly, and attentive. This straightforward communication style makes it easy to discuss complex topics while keeping the human touch that’s always been at the heart of the company.

All of this has come together to create a bold, fresh identity for DigiKey—one that highlights the brand’s enduring qualities while setting them up for a future filled with growth and exciting possibilities.

Lippincott is a global brand consultancy. With a passion for solving our clients’ toughest challenges, we create, grow, and transform brands to define industries and transcend categories. A pioneer since 1943, we have shaped some of the world’s most iconic brands and experiences. From Coca-Cola to Samsung and Starbucks to Delta, our work drives growth and adds meaning to customers’ lives. As the brand and innovation experts of Oliver Wyman, we integrate deep industry, risk, and operational expertise to deliver end-to-end solutions. Together, we create new possibilities for our clients to thrive in the future.

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