Case studies

Cubes on cubes on cubes

Optimised to be functional and aesthetic in equal measure, Together’s visual identity for autonomous AI coding tool Diffblue is confident in its aesthetic restraint, harnessing the graphic strength of a simple, robust concept – cubes. “The brand system was built using squares and cubes to represent unit tests,” Ben Wynn-Owen, Creative Director of the London-based creative agency tells us, baking that into the very foundations of the brand – from the wordmark to the expansive 3D visuals. “This ensured Diffblue’s offering was present in its simplest form in a way that connects to the wider brand language,” he continues, channelling this approach into every element of the brand, leading them to Colophon’s monospace, Chromatic Pro Mono, as the typographic basis of the identity and logomark.

It’s all in the rhythm

For London-based brand designer Laura Clink, working on the identity for GOYA – a social platform celebrating the practice of yoga – hit a personal note. “As someone who has practised yoga for years (with fluctuating levels of commitment), I am very familiar with the intimidating nature of the yoga space,” Clink tells us. Thanks to her experience, she understood that as a beginner, turning up to practice with seasoned yogis “floating in perfect arm balances” can feel especially daunting. So when the founder of GOYA approached her to “decode the yoga space and make it more accessible for the masses, it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” she shares.

Good enough to eat

Let’s face it, meat is delicious. For a lot of us, it’s an indispensable part of our diet, but the toll that breeding livestock takes on our planet is not pretty. And Earth, really, only has so much land. This is an equation that Vow, a cultured meat innovator, is trying to contribute to by creating delicious and innovative foods that are not only good for our taste buds, but also for our health and the planet. To prep for their debut consumer brand and product launch, Vow reached out to Sydney-based design studio Accompany to craft an identity that would match the energy of their inventive, go-getter team and company.

You’ve got to have faith

“Faith is a sarcastic depiction of our fucked-up world, where we pursue answers through either deep spirituality or instant consumerism,” says the Berlin-based, Argentinian creative duo AMATEUR(DOT)ROCKS who have just bottled up some ‘faith.’ If you land on the website for the product, you’ll come across a receipt that reads, “Just when it seems there’s no god left to pray to, no economic system to support us, no media to trust, no relationships to make us feel connected, Faith arrives. A non-scientific formula for these challenging times that enables you to find answers and boosts your levels of resilience and conviction. With a simple routine, we guarantee remarkable belief results.”

How do you build a brand for an organisation fighting disinformation?

In a world rife with disinformation, the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF) is doing some special work. By combating the burgeoning growth of disinformation, the collaborative initiative aims to support media literacy across Europe. To do so, it provides grants to projects dedicated to improving the quality of information in the digital age, enhancing the public’s ability to critically engage with the information they’re handed, resulting in a more informed, resilient European society. The initiative – founded by the European University Institute and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation – needed an identity that would capture their work at a glance, and they shared this brief with Studio Cronica, based in Brighton.

Enveloped in soft elegance

Emerald Stay is where you’d go to find quiet, luxurious, tucked-away spaces to spend your holidays in. The luxury holiday home rental agency began renting high-end ski chalets throughout the Alps and has now begun expanding to coastal locations in Europe. To ring in this growth, the brand collaborated with the London-based Grotesk Studio to create an identity.

The Edit: five projects including Little Troop’s brand for Nik Bentel Studio

Interviews

Paul Billie

Paul Bille is a multidisciplinary designer who operates at the intersection of art, design, and technology. Originally from Germany, he has resided in various countries known for their distinctive design landscapes, including the Netherlands and the United States, where he is currently based. With a rich background in design cutting across diverse cultures, Bille’s perspective is truly one-of-a-kind. This in-depth interview with Bille offers a glimpse into his varied design practice, where we discuss his collaborations with artists and cultural institutions alongside the many formats his work takes shape in – websites, identities, printed matter, 3D works, workshops, performances, and writing. We also touch upon his recent projects, his preferred design tools, and his current role as the Creative Director for telos.haus, a new community, art, and event space in Brooklyn.

Templates

“I really like this idea that when you create a brand you have to create parameters around language.”

Cat How, How&How
1st July 2024

Books

The Design Book

Conceived and edited by Phaidon, The Design Book showcases more than 500 of the most innovative, influential and enduring products from recent times; including iconic pieces by masters such as Le Corbusier, Philippe Starck, and Charles and Ray Eames, as well as classics such as the paper clip, hurricane lantern and martini glass.

The book goes on a fascinating journey through objects that have improved our environments and functionality, and left a significant impact on society and culture as a whole. Accompanying imagery of each object is detailed information about the product itself, its designer, manufacturer and history.

This updated version of The Design Book features 30 new products from this century, which have been expertly selected and curated to reflect modern-day design breakthroughs.

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