OtterTune

Brand Design / Website Design / UI / Social Strategy / Design System

The Overview

OtterTune (cleverly named after Auto-Tune, the music industry standard for pitch correction) is a database monitoring tool that combines AI and simple to use tools, allowing a developer to play the role of DBM. Peace of mind is the product. OtterTune delivers.

The mascot is DJ OtterTune. "DJ-OT" a crafty, street smart otter with a mind for databases, 90s hip-hop and Philly Cheese Steaks. When he's not running the cops in circles, you can find him wherever a database is in need of optimization. That's his game. Don't play.

The Design

Brand Design / We crafted the brand to follow DJ-OT's no nonsense attitude. The illustrator (Liam F. Walsh of New Yorker fame) and founder Andy Pavlo worked together on the illustrations. Bringing together storytelling and narrative that is largely missing in product marketing.

UI / The Sans-serif font, color pallet and supporting graphics are unique in a category filled with bland corporate blues. Bold, high-contrast elements create a memorable but engaging and simple interface.

Design System / I developed a distinctive but flexible Design System comprising Color, Typography, Graphics, Patterns, Iconography, Photography, and Composition elements. This comprehensive system serves to maintain consistency and effectively convey the essence and brand identity of OtterTune across all platforms and mediums.

Screenshot of the OtterTune website homepage with a cartoon otter playing with metallic drums, introducing cloud database tuning and performance optimization for databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL.
A cartoon illustration of a dog doing a handstand on a cardboard mat while wearing a red hoodie with a white logo. There is a boombox on the ground nearby, and a pair of sunglasses on the floor. In the background, there is graffiti-style text that appears to spell out 'OFFLINE' on an orange wall.
Smartphone screen displaying an AI-powered recommendation app with tabs labeled Knobs, Indexes, Queries, and a cartoon cat wearing a hoodie and cap running with a focused expression.
Mobile website screen for OtterTune with a red header featuring a cartoon otter logo. The page promotes AI-powered cloud database tuning and shows an illustration of an otter in a hoodie, wearing a cap, holding a hose connected to a large metal barrel, with a small yellow creature nearby.
A collection of slides from a presentation or brochure about OtterTune, featuring text and graphics, with an illustration of a person in a red outfit running on the left side.
Sequence of four anthropomorphic otters in red hoodies with 'OT' logo, each in different poses and using different accessories.
A digital infographic outlining steps for optimizing a cloud database experience, including connecting your cloud database easily, collecting data insights automatically, and tuning the database autonomously. It features graphics of code snippets, success indicators, and descriptions of connecting OtterTune to cloud databases like Amazon RDS or Aurora.
Graphic with steps to optimize database experience, including connecting cloud database, collecting data insights, and tuning the database automatically. Features display a fleet level of 95, overall health marked as excellent, and a two-week performance overview chart.