Maybe the recent explosion in astrology is thanks to a more secular society; or a post-Covid sense of generalised uncertainty that’s left us grasping for answers. Perhaps it’s the rise of Instagram/TikTok influencers; or maybe it’s just because its foundations lie in astronomical reality that’s been harnessed by civilisations stretching back tens of thousands of years. Whatever it is, where...
Not a new project, but a lovely one nonetheless; it seems there couldn’t have been a more perfect fit for London Centre for Book Arts than Studio Bergini when it was looking for a design team to task with creating its new visual identity. Formed by two Central Saint Martins grads – Norwegian Kristian Hjorth Berge and Italian Francesco Corsini (hence...
In July 2019 New York-based Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh announced that they would be splitting their shared practice after nearly a decade of innovative and boundary-pushing work together. In the amicable separation, &Walsh took over the commercial projects while Sagmeister announced he would exclusively be working on ‘self-generated design’ under Sagmeister Inc. Having made his millions, Sagmeister’s days are...
The hamburger is an American icon. It conjures associations with all-American diners and drive-thrus, backyard cookouts and family gatherings; American values, such as entrepreneurship, as well as less positive attributes of Western countries, like obesity. The burger’s visual identity is inseparable from its history and has been solidified time and time again as the big fast food franchises conquered the...
How to make a data business approachable yet hold gravitas? Can it be engaging yet authoritative, sage yet cool? These are the implicit tensions NY-based Gretel has grappled with in its branding of Mode, a data intelligence and technology business seeking to widen its appeal. Gretel has established a brand identity which is triumphant and clean. It balances the contradictions that so...
Water masquerading as an edgelord-baiting energy drink (Blackletter fonts, skulls, and a name straight out of the heavy rock canon); running shoes aping a chesty cough remedy; olive oil bottles that owe more to the science lab than the Mediterranean. Packaging at the moment, it seems, is frequently playing fancy dress. That’s no bad thing, of course: brands borrowing aesthetics...
Train related rebrands are often some of the most divisive when it comes to the design community Twittering classes. That’s perhaps unsurprising when you consider the ubiquity of Standards Manual books on design studio coffee tables – and the fact that they’re among the rare graphics projects that get broadsheet attention (for better or worse, as the swathes of National...
Global strategy, branding, packaging, and graphic design studio Mucho created this colourful new identity for coffee tech startup BrewBird, working with Scottish artist Craig Black. Mucho was appointed to create a new brand identity and ‘memorable’ packaging system to help BrewBird communicate its story around uniting cutting-edge tech, taste, and ‘the artisanal craft of coffee roasters’. According to Mucho, drip...
2022 was, let’s say, an interesting year for Forskningsrådet (The Norwegian Research Council). The public institution, which provides public funding for research and innovation across a wide range of fields, usually operates without controversy or intense public scrutiny. This changed in September 2021 when Norway held its national elections and got itself a change of government. And along with that,...
Straight up, I’ll admit that I struggle to resist a condensed sans typeface set in uppercase. I’ll also confess that I’ve spent the last hour (no lie), trying to identify this one… Helvetica? Hell no. Railroad Gothic? The wrong track. Söhne? Sö not. Must be Knockout? Another blow. For Druk’s sake is it Druk? Well, whatever it is, it’s neatly...
The visual ‘territories’ of design and the strategic routes of marketing and advertising run in cycles, parallel to consumer culture. Ideas that fall by the wayside one decade are rediscovered, remixed or recycled in another. Challenger brands grow, take on the established and are either acquired, expire or, sometimes, find a sweet spot for growth that allows them to remain true...