CASE STUDY / PRESIDIO VENTURES
Presidio Ventures website
Brand refresh and website redesign
Company: Presidio Ventures
Role: Creative Director / Designer
Disciplines: Creative Direction, Brand Identity, Web Design, UX Design, Information Architecture, Iconography, Content Strategy
Presidio Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Sumitomo Corporation, investing in emerging technologies and startups across a range of industries. I was brought in to refresh the company's visual identity and completely redesign its website, from content and information architecture to the visual experience and underlying publishing system.
01
The request
The project began with a website that no longer reflected the company it represented. Built entirely in static HTML, it wasn't responsive, had limited visibility in search results, and required knowledge of HTML and FTP to make even basic content updates.
Presidio Ventures also wanted to modernize its brand, but with an important constraint: as part of Sumitomo Corporation, any significant identity changes would require extensive corporate approvals so the branding would need a light touch, while the supporting visual language and website could be rethought entirely.
I led the engagement from initial direction through final delivery, establishing the creative approach, project schedule, and milestones. I handled the brand refresh, information architecture, UX, visual design, and custom iconography, bringing in a copywriter and web developer to support content development and implementation.
01
The request
The project began with a website that no longer reflected the company it represented. Built entirely in static HTML, it wasn't responsive, had limited visibility in search results, and required knowledge of HTML and FTP to make even basic content updates.
Presidio Ventures also wanted to modernize its brand, but with an important constraint: as part of Sumitomo Corporation, any significant identity changes would require extensive corporate approvals so the branding would need a light touch, while the supporting visual language and website could be rethought entirely.
I led the engagement from initial direction through final delivery, establishing the creative approach, project schedule, and milestones. I handled the brand refresh, information architecture, UX, visual design, and custom iconography, bringing in a copywriter and web developer to support content development and implementation.
01
The request
The project began with a website that no longer reflected the company it represented. Built entirely in static HTML, it wasn't responsive, had limited visibility in search results, and required knowledge of HTML and FTP to make even basic content updates.
Presidio Ventures also wanted to modernize its brand, but with an important constraint: as part of Sumitomo Corporation, any significant identity changes would require extensive corporate approvals so the branding would need a light touch, while the supporting visual language and website could be rethought entirely.
I led the engagement from initial direction through final delivery, establishing the creative approach, project schedule, and milestones. I handled the brand refresh, information architecture, UX, visual design, and custom iconography, bringing in a copywriter and web developer to support content development and implementation.
02
Refreshing the brand
The existing identity felt dated for a venture capital firm investing in emerging technologies. Its reliance on Times New Roman and a lack of a visual language didn't reflect the forward-looking nature of the business.
Rather than introducing a new identity, I focused on modernizing the elements surrounding the existing logo. I refined the mark, established an updated color palette and typography, and developed a more cohesive visual direction.
I also created a custom icon set for the company's focus areas and industries. Rather than using unrelated stock icons, the illustrations shared a consistent visual style that reinforced the refreshed brand throughout the website.
The result was an identity that felt more contemporary without losing its connection to the parent company.
02
Refreshing the brand
The existing identity felt dated for a venture capital firm investing in emerging technologies. Its reliance on Times New Roman and a lack of a visual language didn't reflect the forward-looking nature of the business.
Rather than introducing a new identity, I focused on modernizing the elements surrounding the existing logo. I refined the mark, established an updated color palette and typography, and developed a more cohesive visual direction.
I also created a custom icon set for the company's focus areas and industries. Rather than using unrelated stock icons, the illustrations shared a consistent visual style that reinforced the refreshed brand throughout the website.
The result was an identity that felt more contemporary without losing its connection to the parent company.
02
Refreshing the brand
The existing identity felt dated for a venture capital firm investing in emerging technologies. Its reliance on Times New Roman and a lack of a visual language didn't reflect the forward-looking nature of the business.
Rather than introducing a new identity, I focused on modernizing the elements surrounding the existing logo. I refined the mark, established an updated color palette and typography, and developed a more cohesive visual direction.
I also created a custom icon set for the company's focus areas and industries. Rather than using unrelated stock icons, the illustrations shared a consistent visual style that reinforced the refreshed brand throughout the website.
The result was an identity that felt more contemporary without losing its connection to the parent company.
03
Rebuilding the website experience
The website redesign went considerably further than the brand refresh. Nothing from the original site was carried over. I reworked the information architecture, navigation, content organization, and visual design to create a cleaner and better organized website that explained Presidio Ventures' positioning.
Working with a copywriter, I helped establish a more appropriate tone of voice and content structure. The goal was to communicate Presidio Ventures' investment focus and portfolio in a way that was straightforward, accessible, and consistent with the updated identity.
I developed wireframes and presented three initial visual directions, refining the selected approach through several rounds of client review. The final design introduced responsive layouts, updated typography, a consistent visual system, and custom iconography.
Throughout the project, I presented work to the broader client team and executives, incorporating feedback while maintaining a consistent creative direction.
03
Rebuilding the website experience
The website redesign went considerably further than the brand refresh. Nothing from the original site was carried over. I reworked the information architecture, navigation, content organization, and visual design to create a cleaner and better organized website that explained Presidio Ventures' positioning.
Working with a copywriter, I helped establish a more appropriate tone of voice and content structure. The goal was to communicate Presidio Ventures' investment focus and portfolio in a way that was straightforward, accessible, and consistent with the updated identity.
I developed wireframes and presented three initial visual directions, refining the selected approach through several rounds of client review. The final design introduced responsive layouts, updated typography, a consistent visual system, and custom iconography.
Throughout the project, I presented work to the broader client team and executives, incorporating feedback while maintaining a consistent creative direction.
04
Making content easier to manage
A major objective was to give Presidio Ventures control over its own website. Previously, even routine changes required someone comfortable editing HTML files and uploading them through FTP.
Working with a developer, I replaced that workflow with a WordPress-based content management system.
The site included structured publishing tools for news and portfolio companies. Staff could add company names, descriptions, URLs, and logos, assign industry classifications, and identify whether investments were current or had exited through an IPO or acquisition.
That information populated the portfolio page automatically, reducing the need for manual page editing and making the growing investment portfolio easier to maintain.
The publishing experience was designed around how the Presidio Ventures team actually managed its content, rather than requiring staff to work around the website's technical limitations.
04
Making content easier to manage
A major objective was to give Presidio Ventures control over its own website. Previously, even routine changes required someone comfortable editing HTML files and uploading them through FTP.
Working with a developer, I replaced that workflow with a WordPress-based content management system.
The site included structured publishing tools for news and portfolio companies. Staff could add company names, descriptions, URLs, and logos, assign industry classifications, and identify whether investments were current or had exited through an IPO or acquisition.
That information populated the portfolio page automatically, reducing the need for manual page editing and making the growing investment portfolio easier to maintain.
The publishing experience was designed around how the Presidio Ventures team actually managed its content, rather than requiring staff to work around the website's technical limitations.
04
Making content easier to manage
A major objective was to give Presidio Ventures control over its own website. Previously, even routine changes required someone comfortable editing HTML files and uploading them through FTP.
Working with a developer, I replaced that workflow with a WordPress-based content management system.
The site included structured publishing tools for news and portfolio companies. Staff could add company names, descriptions, URLs, and logos, assign industry classifications, and identify whether investments were current or had exited through an IPO or acquisition.
That information populated the portfolio page automatically, reducing the need for manual page editing and making the growing investment portfolio easier to maintain.
The publishing experience was designed around how the Presidio Ventures team actually managed its content, rather than requiring staff to work around the website's technical limitations.
05
Results
The completed project gave Presidio Ventures a fully redesigned, responsive website and an updated visual identity, supported by a content management system that staff could maintain without editing code.
The company's search visibility also improved. Where the original website had appeared several pages deep in Google results for its own name, Presidio Ventures subsequently reached the top result.
Perhaps the most lasting measure of the work is its longevity. Designed around 2017, the website remains largely unchanged nearly a decade later, with the original visual direction and site structure continuing to serve the company.
05
Results
The completed project gave Presidio Ventures a fully redesigned, responsive website and an updated visual identity, supported by a content management system that staff could maintain without editing code.
The company's search visibility also improved. Where the original website had appeared several pages deep in Google results for its own name, Presidio Ventures subsequently reached the top result.
Perhaps the most lasting measure of the work is its longevity. Designed around 2017, the website remains largely unchanged nearly a decade later, with the original visual direction and site structure continuing to serve the company.
Mekanismo
© 2026 Gabriel Alvarado-Marín