Branding & app design for Goldesel

A donkey that lays gold makes taxes make sense.

Blockchain / Cryptocurrency

Costa Rica

Nimiq is an open-source blockchain ecosystem working towards something crypto has long promised: making it genuinely useful as everyday money.

Illustrated green river valley with a hilltop castle, a knight with a German federal eagle shield and a clerk writing in a ledger

When concepting becomes an extreme sport, Goldesel comes to be. Luckily, the Nimiq team was game. Goldesel was completely tailored to the myth that inspired it. The brand story was more than packaging. It became a way to educate users and make a rather daunting task feel whimsical.

Illustrated grey donkey with a yellow halter standing in a flowering green meadow under a blue sky

Illustrated grey donkey with a leather saddlebag overflowing with gold coins in a meadow scattered with gold nuggets at sunset

Illustrated grey donkey in a golden harness carrying two baskets full of gold coins, bars and jewels across a golden field

Following the Goldesel fable, where a magic donkey produces gold on command, we drew parallels between staking, tax declarations and the tale itself.

Illustrated young man in a green tunic holding a cloth full of gold coins and a golden egg as coins rain down

Illustrated knight in plate armour holding a sword and a yellow shield with the black German federal eagle

Illustrated medieval tax clerk in green robes kneeling with an open ledger, quill and ink pot

Illustrated castle courtyard with a knight guarding the gate, a clerk writing in a ledger and a young man pushing a cart full of gold coins

Sepia line illustration of an open timber-frame barn with haystacks, a farmer with a pitchfork, a woman carrying hay and chickens

Sepia line illustration of a fortified castle gatehouse with round towers, battlements and two guards above the arched wooden gate

The natural link to staking, paired with the tale's old-world charm, creates an almost ironic tension which adds to the fantasy.

Illustration of medieval villagers gathered around a long banquet table working on laptops showing code

The fantastical world of Goldesel comes to counter intimidating taxes. By carrying the story through the experience, we lower the barrier to understanding and adoption.

Brand Strategy: Tammo Mamedi
Creative Concept: Tammo Mamedi, Anastasiia Bezhevets
Copywriting: Tammo Mamedi
Visual Identity: Kwadwo Malcolm, Anastasiia Bezhevets
AI-Assisted Production: Anastasiia Bezhevets, Kwadwo Malcolm
Website Design: Kwadwo Malcolm
Low-code Development: Irakli Beridze

Stack

Figma Weave (previously Weavy)

Framer

Nimiq x Overnice

We go all the way to 2017 with the Nimiq team. We're in charge of their branding, design, and product, something we take immense pride in. It becomes even more rewarding when a client turns into a long-standing partnership with enough room for both work and play.