Sans-serif Logotypes
OSESP by Polar
When São Paulo-based studio Polar was tasked with rebranding one of Brazil’s most important cultural institutions – the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo Symphony Orchestra), better known as OSESP – its solution was an identity system that doesn’t just depict classical music but actively embody it. OSESP’s previous identity had served it well, with its 2003-2007...
Precise by Design Bridge
Mortgages aren’t exactly the most sexy or fun concepts, nor are the companies that offer them. Likewise, the sector isn’t exactly known for a bold or forward thinking approach to brand design. But it’s often the more traditionally dull-leaning brands or companies that make for the most creative – not to mention difficult – branding projects. Perhaps that’s part of...
Bikedot by Studio Sutherl&
The concept of a brand today rarely has a sense of physicality. The hand (or indeed roller), the mark-maker, usually feels totally absent. It makes sense really, considering our primary interaction with a brand is often online; but when a project comes along that’s so obviously delighting in the possibilities of print processes, inks and paper it feels like a...
Dirty Vegan by Jens Nilsson
Having been a vegan for almost 20 years now, various tropes have come and gone. In the early days, for the health conscious it was pretty much all about brown paper packaged Holland and Barrett goods, and references to the Young Ones cooking lentils. For the not so health conscious (hello!) it was ketchup sandwiches. Gradually the Quorn contingent came...
Drumroll by Gander
Donuts are one of life’s simplest pleasures, but they haven’t historically been the healthiest choice. Vegan – sorry ‘plant based’ – donuts are nothing new (Krispy Kreme’s been selling some non-dairy alternatives for a while now, and very nice they are too), but until now, we weren’t aware of donuts that also boast high-protein, low-sugar, gluten-free credentials. That is, until...
Reveri by Mother
There’s no denying the proliferation of all things that the more curmudgeonly crowds might deem ‘woowoo’ over recent years. Crystals, gong baths, singing bowls, silent retreats, tarot et al were once firmly languishing on the fringes of society, and are now de rigeur among the Stoke Newington set and TikTok classes alike. This rise in self-help-led esotericism has run concurrently...
Fluz by Koto
It can’t be easy designing the identity for a brand or company that’s hard to define, or which isn’t easily explained by that ‘new product, familiar ideas’ trope – the sorts of things described as ‘Like Tinder, but for cats!’ or ‘CityMapper for life decisions’, or ‘Uber for people who want to try dogging but can’t drive’ (if any investor...
La Mia by Papanapa
In recent years, we’ve seen artisanal ice cream brands make an obvious departure from the maximalist, saccharine branding that their mainstream counterparts are so known for. In particular, the typeface-heavy, superimposed ice cream tubs of US-based brands have become a benchmark for exactly the kind of branding that more gourmet confectioners are keen to avoid. While Ben & Jerry’s iconic...
Matheson Food Company by Wedge
If nostalgia is a powerful force, arguably ‘fauxstalgia’ – that sense of longing and yearning for something that we never actually experienced – is even more so. Fauxstalgia isn’t the same as trend cycles – the baffling realisation that Gen Z is suddenly, unironically, into Nu Metal, for instance – it’s an internal sensation rather than an external observation. It’s...
Kikin by Koto
When you think about the world of financial investments, an image of woven Scouts’ patches isn’t typically the first thing that springs to mind. Other contemporary brands (like Monzo, Chip, and Plum) aim for visual simplicity over complex personality development or extended world-building. But while a rugged outdoor theme might feel incongruous in the fin-tech space, Koto has skilfully capitalised...
Toundra by LG2
There’s always something intriguing about niche, singular companies, stores and brands. When I was growing up, I distinctly remember a shop that sold only various things made out of wicker, for instance. It both intrigued and baffled me then, before I understood the concept of a ‘front’, a la (or so rumour has it) the numerous shops that once lined...
Pamipe by Omni Design
In recent years we’ve seen some radical shifts to the ever-booming pet care sector. That’s thanks in no small part to the Covid 19 lockdowns that saw many of us seeking solace and company in domestic animals, taking advantage of the WFH policies that, once upon a time, felt endless and unwavering. Another catalyst, perhaps, is that in an increasingly...