Recchiuti Confections is a San Francisco-based gourmet chocolatier that creates chocolates with unique flavour combinations. Using traditional European techniques, with locally sourced ingredients from Northern Californian farms and markets, Recchiuti’s chocolates have earned a loyal customer base and several accolades. After 25 years in business, Recchiuti sought the expertise of Manual – a local design studio – for a brand...
There’s a lot to be said for the Instagram-worthiness of, say, a faux-futuristic beauty brand identity that’s all gloopy, metallic, kinetic typography, ‘terminal green’, and unabashedly Gen Z-baiting ‘y2k’ art direction. It’s easy to assume that projects that allow designers the creative freedom for unabashed experimentation – playing fast and loose with legibility and lofty conceptual thinking – are the...
American industrial designers Ray and Charles Eames fundamentally believed that good design should be available to everybody. It’s ironic, therefore, that today – in part due to institutional bodies, galleries, collectors and capitalism – their work has been elevated far beyond the reach of the common person. Design that was supposed to be accessible has become a symbol of taste,...
The Architecture Division of the California College of the Arts (CCA) is an internationally recognised leader in architecture and interior design education. Its programs, which focus on digital technologies and material systems, design research and urban agency, were developed to prepare students for creative practice where material innovation and formal experimentation meet social engagement and cultural collaboration. CCA Architecture strives to...
Port of Mokha is a coffee, sourced from Yemen, that is said to be the rarest, most expensive and best tasting in the world. As a brand it is critically acclaimed, winning awards and receiving the highest ratings in blind cuppings, and mindful, helping to support local communities. Port of Mokha’s story begins with the return and daring escape of...
Fort Point is a San Francisco-based small batch craft beer company that references traditional styles yet is firmly rooted in the present, and has a philosophy that values craftsmanship and innovation, creativity and technique. In 2015, working with local graphic design studio Manual, Fort Point launched a new graphic identity and packaging system to unite its expanding range. Fort Point’s forward-thinking, fast-growing...
Pablo & Rusty’s is a small-batch coffee roaster, wholesaler, retailer and cafe with four locations in and around Sydney, and a company culture passionate about sustainability and the pursuit of perfection. San Francisco based studio Manual created a visual identity for Pablo & Rusty’s that would better reflect their values, was sensitive to local coffee culture and is described as having a level...
Soma is a water filtration brand that is described by Manual, the design studio behind its brand identity and packaging treatment, as bringing together sophisticated design, sustainability and charity. These values are evident within Soma’s first product, a glass water carafe that uses a 100% compostable filter, its packaging, and the commitment to charity donations that comes with each sale....
Merchants of Beverage is an online service that aims to make buying and gifting luxury items easy. Products include wines, spirits and Champagne’s, as well as hand-blown crystal stemware and professional barware. Each item has been handpicked and curated by a team of experts and sourced from a variety of international artisans. The service’s new brand identity, which included monogram, logotype,...
The Slanted Door is a family run, contemporary Vietnamese restaurant that fuses traditional recipes with locally sourced ingredients. Opened in 1995 and located on San Francisco’s Valencia Street The Slanted Door recently underwent a rebrand managed by design and visual communication studio Manual....