# Americana

> Brand and platform design for Americana; a marketplace for buying and selling physical collectibles, combining NFC technology and blockchain records to verify authenticity.

- A case study by The Design Office of David McGillivray
- Disciplines: Brand, Web
- Web page: https://dmcg.co/work/americana

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/1d100bfab9029846e13a047b88449fe8b111f332-1790x1143.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

Americana was a marketplace for buying and selling physical collectibles, combining NFC technology and blockchain records to verify authenticity, establish provenance, and track ownership as objects changed hands.

Working directly with the founding team, the project spanned the core visual identity, website, and software experience, bringing together an unusual combination of hardware, web, and crypto technologies into a cohesive consumer product.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/a51974d612d446aa46cf7ebb8325d5032f440778-1880x1120.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

The visual identity was intentionally utilitarian, designed to let the objects on the platform take precedence. With everything from rare collectibles to art passing through Americana, the identity needed to provide a consistent framework without competing with the objects themselves.

The mark follows the same thinking: a minimal interpretation of an object with a small glint, suggesting something of value. There's also a subtle reference to the NFC technology used to identify and track objects on the platform.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/5fc2dfe21c011e7f06f7a4942b14157cc7be3f00-1823x1823.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

The same utilitarian approach extended to the physical NFC patches, which were branded as part of the identity system.

Designed to be attached directly to valuable objects, these needed to feel unobtrusive while communicating a sense of security and reliability. The result was something closer to a piece of functional technology than a conventional branded object.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/537fbb27cf7c4ad0bd71353290ee7105cc476554-1991x1256.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

The website continued this approach, using a restrained visual language that put physical objects front and center, sometimes quite literally positioning them above the typography.

The challenge was creating an identity with enough personality to be recognizable, but enough restraint to step aside and let the objects do the work.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/2be2eafef4c7e4671906530fdcda9a85f3f9d62b-1966x1503.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

Beyond the broader brand experience, the core marketplace was designed around discovering, browsing, and bidding on objects.

With a wide variety of collectibles passing through the platform, much of the work focused on establishing a clear structure and hierarchy across search, listings, and auctions, creating a consistent experience regardless of the type of object being sold.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/4db2278cacaaf0bc3e4e427886e0f5d328f0009d-1857x2267.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

Individual object pages combined traditional marketplace functionality with a more detailed record of each object's history.

Previous ownership and transactions were recorded on the blockchain, allowing buyers to trace an object's provenance and verify its history. This introduced an additional layer of complexity to a familiar product page, requiring a careful balance between the technical information and the more conventional buying experience.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/bfb3d28d46cdf74795b68d6afe616fc584227b43-2214x1302.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

Adding an object to Americana involved attaching an NFC chip, pairing it with a phone, and creating its corresponding digital record.

This brought together hardware, software, and blockchain technology in a process that most consumers had never encountered. The challenge was making something technically complex feel straightforward, breaking the process into simple steps with just enough personality to make the experience enjoyable.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/8f421f3ce52dd66ae0b0b1d5068dba0050fcea0b-2006x1923.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

A dedicated dashboard brought together object management, bids, offers, and communications.

Much of this functionality was consolidated into a minimal inbox-style interface, creating a familiar way to navigate and manage a surprisingly complex set of interactions.

![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/g94oo1l2/production/9c62e341f30803522dc319a99832950c6a4ea1dc-1841x2132.png?w=1600&fit=max&auto=format)

Alongside the marketplace, Americana also featured an editorial section exploring the objects and the culture surrounding them.

This part of the website adopted a slightly more expressive, publication-like approach, providing a contrast to the functional nature of the software while remaining connected to the wider visual identity.

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From The Design Office of David McGillivray. Every page: https://dmcg.co/llms.txt