Harvest is a time tracking and invoicing software company founded in 2006 in New York City, serving thousands of professional services firms worldwide with simple, effective time management tools.
Meaning and Symbolism
- The vibrant orange color (#fa5d00) evokes energy, productivity, and the urgency of time management
- Orange suggests approachability and creativity, positioning Harvest as user-friendly rather than corporate or intimidating
- The abstract geometric logo form implies efficiency and structured organization of time resources
- The bright, warm hue stands out in crowded SaaS marketplaces while conveying optimism about time well spent
- The mark emphasizes clarity and transparency, core values for billing and time tracking software
History and Evolution
Harvest was founded in 2006 by Danny Wen and Shawn Liu in New York City as Iridesco, initially developing web applications before pivoting to time tracking software. The founders identified a gap in the market for simple, elegant time tracking that didn’t overwhelm users with complexity. Early adoption came from design agencies and consulting firms frustrated with clunky enterprise solutions. By 2010, Harvest had gained traction among creative agencies and software development teams seeking straightforward time capture and client billing.
The company bootstrapped profitably for over a decade, growing to serve more than 70,000 paying customers across professional services, marketing, IT consulting, and legal sectors. Harvest expanded its platform to include expense tracking, team capacity planning, and robust reporting analytics. In 2020, amid the remote work boom, Harvest integrated with over 100 third-party applications including project management tools like Asana, Basecamp, and Trello. The company maintains its commitment to simplicity, resisting feature bloat while refining core time tracking and invoicing functionality that helps teams understand how they spend their most valuable resource.
Typography and Design
The Harvest wordmark utilizes a clean, modern sans-serif typeface that emphasizes readability and contemporary software design principles. The typography features generous spacing and balanced letterforms that convey professionalism without formality, appropriate for creative agencies and consulting firms. The signature orange (#fa5d00) creates immediate brand recognition and differentiates Harvest from competitors using blue or green color schemes common in productivity software. The abstract icon employs geometric forms suggesting both a clock face and organized structure, reinforcing the dual focus on time tracking and financial management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Harvest? Danny Wen and Shawn Liu founded Harvest in 2006 in New York City, initially as Iridesco before focusing exclusively on time tracking and invoicing software.
When did Harvest launch its time tracking platform? Harvest officially launched its time tracking software in 2006, growing organically through word-of-mouth among design agencies and consulting firms seeking simpler alternatives to enterprise solutions.
What does the Harvest logo represent? The abstract orange icon suggests both time organization and structured efficiency, core concepts for software that helps teams track billable hours and generate client invoices.