Creative Agency &Walsh Develops New Brand Identity for LGBTQ+ Social App Lex

In January 2023, the creative agency &Walsh completed a comprehensive rebranding project for Lex, a social application designed for the LGBTQ+ community. The agency, founded by Jessica Walsh and based in New York, was responsible for establishing a messaging framework, visual identity, user experience toolkit, and website design for the platform. Lex originated from an Instagram account called Personals, which was started by founder and CEO Kell Rakowski in 2017. This account replicated traditional newspaper personal advertisements, emphasizing written descriptions over photographs. After accumulating 10,000 personal ads over two years, Rakowski officially launched Lex in 2019 as a text-focused dating application, providing a space where queer individuals could express themselves freely without the constraints often imposed by mainstream social media platforms. &Walsh's design approach for Lex was inspired by the concept of the app as a vibrant queer playground. The agency created a fluid and whimsical logo, along with a visual identity that conveys themes of growth, energy, and well-being, while incorporating a raw, textured aesthetic. Key elements include a primary brand color known as "Lex Green," a complementary palette of spring tones, and illustrations featuring natural and symbolic motifs like flowers, flames, mountains, hearts, and stars. To reflect Lex's emphasis on language as a tool for self-expression and empowerment, &Walsh developed a messaging framework crafted by and for queer people. This included creating custom stickers with copy lines that use authentic queer vernacular, allowing users to share pronouns, interests, and other information both online and offline. Additionally, &Walsh designed and developed Lex's desktop and mobile websites, incorporating feedback from users, referred to as Lexers, to improve accessibility and functionality. These sites now serve as an introduction to the app's features and provide links for downloading it from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Lex, which is queer-owned and operated, is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, and is available globally for free on iOS and Android devices.