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Yichan Wang
Beluga
Beluga
Brand + Web Design
Brand Designer
2025
Beluga set out to make taxes less painful with AI, but so did nearly every other startup in the space. Most competitors leaned into the same promise of speed and efficiency, and in doing so, converged on the same clinical, tech-forward look. I designed a full brand identity and website that set Beluga apart with a playful personality.
Challenge
Beluga uses AI to make taxes easier. However, in 2025, hundreds of AI startups were making the same pitch: upload your documents, let the AI handle the rest. Efficient AI tool for a boring task tends to converge on the same visual solution: clean, minimal, textureless. Every competitor was optimizing for looking trustworthy and smart, and in doing so, they'd all arrived at the same sterile, forgettable identity.
Solution
I built Beluga's identity around Luca the mascot: a friendly, rounded beluga whale that gave the AI a face and a name people could actually root for, instead of just another "smart tool." That personality shaped every layer of the system. Playful bubble graphics and animated waves to build out a consistent world around Luca. The bright, higher-contrast palette, anchored by a vibrant ultramarine, kept the brand feeling premium without going cold. Luca turned into emojis that can playfully integrate into marketing texts, as well as detailed illustration that add warmth and dynamism to every touchpoint.
