VEDANT SHARMA

I'm a Designer based in Bengaluru with seven years of experience, four of which have been at Ather Energy, designing rider-facing systems for electric two-wheelers.

My work spans interaction design, HMI, and typography, with a focus on clarity under motion, legibility at speed, and behaviour that feels invisible in real riding conditions.

I come from a background in typeface and graphic design, which shapes how I approach every interface problem, through hierarchy, precision, and visual decisions built to last across vehicles and product lines.

Outside of work: solo motorcycle rides, strength training, photography, and films that linger.


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vedant@vdnt.me

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VEHICLE BRANDING - Apex, Rizta

Ather 450 APEX
Ather Rizta

Role
Visual Designer

Scope
Vehicle logotype · Typographic direction · Surface application · Identity hierarchy

Collaborators
CMF Designer · Vehicle Design Lead · Brand · Marketing

Timeline
2023-2024

One Brand. Two Personalities.




Ather was launching two vehicles at opposite ends of its portfolio:

  • 450 Apex: The flagship performance vehicle, built to celebrate 10 years of Ather.

  • Rizta: A family-first, everyday mobility scooter. The identity needed to signal stability at scale (Rizta ultimately went on to become Ather’s highest-selling product, playing a key role in the company going public)







A Flagship Needs Its Own Language

The 450 Apex celebrated a decade of Ather, and was based on the performance based 450-platform that started the company. It was positioned as Ather’s highest-performance vehicle yet.




It couldn’t look like a variant of the 450 line. It needed a distinct identity. Something elevated and deliberate, celebrating the milestone. 

I was responsible for defining the Apex logotype end-to-end.


Toyota Supra - Photo credit: Toyota Motor Corporation
SR-71B Blackbird - Photo credit: Judson Brohmer / U.S. Air Force / NASA

Before sketching, I studied how top-tier performance products express hierarchy, from the BMW M-Series to Toyota Supra.

One reference stood out: the SR-71 Blackbird.

Its defining quality wasn’t aggression, it was uninterrupted flow — form dictated by function. No sudden breaks or decorative gestures.

That principle shaped the Apex letterforms. The logotype was designed around continuity, sharp but controlled, expressive without noise.



The identity’s use case was not just on a flat surface.

It needed to live:
  • On body panels
  • On curved surfaces
  • On the wheel rim
  • Inside the dashboard UI
  • On supplementary products
  • And across marketing campaigns

This required custom curvature adaptations and distortion control. The typography was tuned for physical application, not just digital composition.




The Apex logotype was developed through focused sketching, digital iterations and surface print trials. It defined performance as a visual tier within the Ather lineup.

The logotype became the defining mark of Ather’s 10-year celebration. 













A Family Kind of Performance

If Apex was about precision and speed, Rizta was about reassurance and stability.

Rizta was positioned as Ather’s family vehicle — approachable, practical, and dependable. The identity could not feel aggressive. It needed to feel inviting, without losing the core Ather DNA. 



I collaborated closely with a Graphic Designer on this project.




Balancing Form and Perception

The vehicle form was more laid-back and visually bulkier than the 450 series. The logotype needed to counterbalance that weight.

Referencing the first-generation Suzuki Katana, I observed how static typography could contrast aggressive form. The graphic and the machine created tension together.

With Rizta, the equation reversed. The form was relatively calm and substantial. The typography needed to introduce subtle dynamism.






Constructing the Logotype



Explorations focused on:

  • Controlled curvature
  • Strong horizontal stability
  • Movement
  • And fun

The final Rizta logotype emerged as bold and grounded. Not exaggerated for effect, but defined through proportion and weight.



Subtle details were embedded intentionally:

  • A bolt-like negative form between the Z and T
  • Terminal cues referencing battery polarity

These elements were restrained. Discoverable, not decorative.



When applied as a raised physical badge, the balance between positive and negative space became more critical. The form needed to hold physically and not collapse into softness. The optical corrections required for these 3D applications were ultimately integrated into the 2D master version as well.  



Rizta went on to become Ather’s highest-selling product, selling over 230,000 units (as of Jan, 2026), playing a key role in the company going public. 



There’s also a short Instagram Reel with me, talking about the Rizta logotype.














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