Fable&Co. gives lignin pioneer Nova Biochem its first real identity — The Brand Identity – Home of the Greatest in Graphic & Brand Design

Lignin is the polymer that gives wood and other plant matter much of its structure. In the pulp and paper industries, it’s separated out as a byproduct, with most of it sent for incineration. Nova Biochem treats that waste stream as a feedstock instead, converting lignin into high-value circular chemicals that stand in for the ones drawn from crude oil, across packaging, adhesives, coatings, inks and varnishes. When the company reached the stage where its science needed a story to carry it into rooms with investors and industrial partners, it turned to UK-based design agency Fable&Co.

There was little to build on, as Nova Biochem had never been through a formal branding process. As a bootstrapped deep-tech start-up, it had poured its energy into the technology, the fundraising and the validation. “The existing logo was a placeholder, and beyond LinkedIn, there was effectively no wider web presence,” explains CEO Alexander Novitskiy. The business had moved well past the identity that represented it, having secured investment, proven the technology and formed industry partnerships, so Fable&Co. began from the ground up with the positioning, the identity, the messaging framework and the website.

The strategy resolved to a single word: ‘Matter.’ It reads two ways at once, representing the literal world of materials as well as the broader idea of doing work that carries weight. “It was one of those ideas that felt instantly clear, memorable and impossible to ignore,” Ross Davison, Creative Director at Fable&Co., tells us. They arrived there after testing a range of strategic territories, some leaning into future science, others into precision and performance. ‘Matter’ connects to both sides of Nova Biochem: the chemistry and the transformation on one hand, the long-term significance on the other.

Settling on the word gave Fable&Co. something firmer to build on than the expected visual cues in biotech and cleantech. Rather than treating scientific references as mere decoration, they let the strategic idea drive the system, making molecular references more expressive and ownable. “The aim was to create a brand that felt scientifically credible, commercially confident and visually elevated beyond the conventions of the space,” Davison adds. The mark that followed is the first test of that thinking.

Fable&Co. found its starting point in the chemistry itself. The symbol derives from the structural formula of an aromatic compound, abstracted into a dot-based constellation that references molecular structure, dispersion and transformation. “The placement of the dots follows an underlying structure inspired by chemical bonding and connectivity, creating a sense of rhythm, balance and interaction across the system,” Davison explains. The dots scatter and regroup across applications, behaving like matter in motion.

Against an authoritative base of black, grey and white, a single accent does the talking: Catalyst Yellow. The choice is a deliberate refusal of the greens and earth tones that recur in sustainability-focused brands. “For Nova Biochem, sustainability is rooted in science and innovation, so the identity needed to feel more progressive and distinctive,” Davison details. The yellow brings momentum and optimism to the system, the energy of a catalyst set against the restraint around it, giving Nova Biochem a warmer, more confident presence than the corporate coldness the sector defaults to.

TWK Everett Light was chosen for the wordmark, as well as the typography throughout the wider identity. Its structure is clear and credible, with the qualities a scientific and commercial audience can trust, while the sharp cuts and subtle contrast in the letterforms lend it a digital, forward-leaning character that keeps it clear of the sterile biotech look.

The imagery extends the same tone, with the different types sharing lighting, composition and restraint so they come together as one cohesive world. Organic textures of moss, bark and natural surfaces point back to lignin and its plant origins, while cleaner, sculptural visuals stand for the engineered outputs, with the ratio between them shifting by context. “More technical or corporate touchpoints lean towards the sculptural imagery, while storytelling and brand-led moments allow the organic textures to become more prominent,” Davison explains.

All of it comes together on the website, which opens on the concept of matter before moving through mission, technology and application, so the bigger idea introduces Nova Biochem before the science arrives in detail. The hydrothermal conversion process that turns pulp side-streams into circular chemicals sits inside that narrative rather than as separate technical content. “The technology is core to Nova Biochem’s identity and purpose, so integrating it into the wider narrative helped connect the science directly to the brand’s mission,” Davison explains.

For Novitskiy, the difference shows in how the company is now received. Before the rebrand, much of his team’s time went on explaining the context around the business, the technology, the opportunity and why any of it mattered. The identity now carries that from the outset, holding its own in front of petrochemical incumbents and in conversations with sustainability-minded partners.

The brand also gives Nova Biochem a foundation that scales as those conversations widen across investors, customers and future employees. “It presents Nova Biochem as a serious industrial and commercial business, not simply an early-stage science company,” Novitskiy concludes.