Case studies

A mind-bending SXSW activation

Boasting a world-class catalogue of music and sound effects – heard over 2.5 billion times per day – the global soundtracking platform Epidemic Sound will likely have crossed your ears at some point. “As the brand moves from simply providing a transactional audio library to becoming a true partner for creators,” says Bold Scandinavia’s Design Director Sidney Lim, “they’re diving head-first into creative brand campaigns and activations that can take them from resource to creative influence.” One of these, created with the expertise of Bold Scandinavia, is a campaign that debuted at South by South West (SXSW) 2025.

Channelling motion and emotion

While brand strategist and creative director Christopher A. Ritter is a self-described artistic person who “frequents museums, performances, and supports cultural institutions,” there was something about Cincinnati Ballet that hadn’t quite grabbed his attention. “I saw it as a branding problem,” he notes. “By all accounts, the Cincinnati Ballet has a great reputation,” he continues, “but it’s never connected with me personally.” This served as the starting point for his speculative rebrand for the organisation, viewed through the lens of Ritter’s position as an outsider to ballet.

Serving up architectural elegance

Situated on the sixth floor of Berlin’s luxury department store, KaDeWe, is what is affectionately known as Die Sechte (The Sixth) – a legendary gourmet hall that has earned its reputation as Berlin’s culinary heaven. Boasting over 30 restaurants, bars, and food counters, including the likes of oyster bars, the finest French macarons, and a restaurant dedicated solely to potatoes – this is where it all comes together. It also showcases an exquisite selection of international delicacies, fine wines, and premium food products, many of which are their own. They have received an elegant makeover, courtesy of Studio Chapeaux, who were tasked with developing a private label worthy of this culinary destination, working in collaboration with Axel Domke.

Evolving Lady Gaga’s digital platform

The traditional artist website is a thing of the past. At least, that’s what Yung Studio’s revolutionary platform for pop icon Lady Gaga suggests. Where most artist websites serve as straightforward, static repositories for tour dates and merchandise, the project reimagines the legendary musician’s website as an explorative platform balancing storytelling with ecommerce – a rich content hub for music, announcements, and broader ventures, all while being unwaveringly, undeniably Gaga. “The process was messy, fast, and full of heart,” reveals Melody Yung, Founder & Creative Lead of Yung Studio.

A design evolution with organic fluidity

Over time, Atelier Nova, headquartered in the Swiss municipality of Prilly, knew its priorities had shifted. Once positioned as a do-it-all practice capable of taking on everything, the multi-disciplinary design studio (primarily focused on architecture and design) gradually concluded that it had to reevaluate its positioning. Its image, while sleek and professional, was out of alignment with its sustainability-driven focus and active client-first collaboration. Lausanne-based design studio Hymn, invited to redesign the identity, knew they had to retain Atelier Nova’s established expertise and capacity to manage an array of projects, all while putting their vision and values at the forefront.

Objects and human existence

(re)existence, a self-initiated publication by designer and art director Joyce Shi, revisits her 2021 project ‘Objects, Memories, Death, Us,’ and takes an editorial approach to examining how everyday items shape our sense of self. From ID cards and postcards to medication prescriptions and concert tickets, Shi curates a collection that creates a portrait of personhood through the mundane yet meaningful.

On the move

New ownership of Cazoo, one of the biggest household names in car retail in the UK, meant a new look was in order. Before delving into crafting a new image for the brand, the team at brand design studio Fold7Design had many factors to consider, keeping in mind that the company – a previously very well-known brand – was relaunching with a new business model.

The Shift is back for one last time

Is branding now a democracy?

⁠In the final chapter of The Shift, our series with Frontify, we explore how brands are increasingly involving their audiences in the design process. From Feeld’s community-driven rebrand to Figma’s remixable Config identity, we examine what happens when brands open their creative process and let communities shape their visual identities.⁠

Mockups

“There is a delicate balance in when and where to invite democracy in branding.”

Nyomi Warren, Feeld
30th April 2025

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The Process Five – Digital Edition

The Process Five is an exclusive showcase of unused and unseen branding work from ten world-leading graphic design studios, highlighting the ideas, concepts, mockups and sketches that led to their final outcomes. Coming in at 344 pages, it is the chunkiest and most comprehensive volume in the series yet with 571 process works included. It features never seen before insights and inspiration from projects by Pentagram, Play, Hugmun, Carla Palette, Resn, Studio Blackburn, Rabbithole, TRiC, Justified Studio and U.I.WD. for clients like OpenAI, Channel 4 and Getty.

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