Modern Publicity
April 26th, 2010Former Art Director of Monocle magazine, Ken Leung, has received a lot of attention recently on his new consultancy called Modern Publicity. And rightfully so, his work for Monocle is stunning. But personally I find the identity work for Vanity Fair to be the best piece in the portfolio.
Ken sent me some background on the project:
As a background to the project, I was commissioned by Graydon Carter at Vanity Fair to propose a redesign for the magazine – the brief was left open to see what I would come back with.
Given such an amazing opportunity, I envisioned the project as not just a magazine redesign but a complete brand relaunch, also proposing an accompanying corporate identity programme. I wanted the stationery to feel timeless, intelligent and reflective of the magazine’s heritage, whilst also being fresh and modern in it’s use of colour.
I think Ken accomplished exactly that. The identity has a timeless and sophisticated look, at the same time feels modern and minimal. Love it.
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Toormix
October 5th, 2009Barcelona based studio Toormix has a put together a portfolio filled with quality work. I especially love their New Papers pictured here.
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OK-RM 2009
September 28th, 2009The fantastic studio OK-RM updates their site with new work from this year. They’re responsible for the Barbican identity system, one of my all time favorites.
Pictured above is some print work for Beyond These Walls, a group exhibition at the South London Gallery.
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Hunt
September 14th, 2009I love this identity and branding for Cross Section Studio by Melbourne based multi-disciplinary studio Hunt. The identity system is inspired by Swiss design and includes a letterhead, notepad, business cards and DVD. There’s something about simple black & white designs that I love.
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LemonAid Beverages
August 26th, 2009One of my favorite design studios, BVD, just finished up some stunning new work for the German company LemonAid Beverages. They created a simple and eye catching design for the new drinks ChariTea and Lemonaid. BVD also selected a classic bottle design on which the graphics are silkscreened instead of using labels. I’d drink this stuff even if it tasted bad just because the design is gorgeous. Also, definitely check out the LemonAid site by demodern. The typography and videos are awesome.
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Chocolat Factory Identity System
August 17th, 2009Here’s an great example of a well designed graphic identity that doesn’t over do it and supports the content. Designed by Ruiz+Company for Spanish chocolate company Chocolat Factory, the identity features a clean sans-serif (which looks like DIN) and a wonderful color palette. Reminds me of the gorgeous identity system for Brooklyn Fare.
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The Future Distilled
July 21st, 2009When it comes to lifestyle brands, there are two companies that stand out from the rest. One is Apple, the other is a small but awesome company called Nooka. I’ve written about them before and their excellent line of timepieces. The company was born in 1997 by artist and designer, Matthew Waldman.
Recently Matthew and his team launched a few new products that expand the brand and will change the way you think about other objects. The new products are a Nooka fragrance, Asset Organizer and Strip.
I had the pleasure of sampling the fragrance when I took a tour of the Nooka office and it smells great. The Asset Organizer is a system of containers much like a wallet and the Strip is a belt featuring an innovative snap and release closure system designed and developed by Nooka. What stands out the most from these products is their simplistic design and function and the innovative thinking behind each them. Nooka is slowing becoming my favorite brand and I look forward to future products.
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Brooklyn Fare
July 17th, 2009Mucca Design has created a stunning package design for Brooklyn based gourmet store, Brooklyn Fare. The branding features a proprietary typeface by Mucca called Fare Serif that is used everywhere and a 4 color system. Another aspect of the minimalist branding that I love is the edgy, humorous tone of the copy.
You can see more of this project on the Mucca newsletters as well as the Eat Me Daily blog.
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Branch
July 9th, 2009Branch is a new independent design studio that already has a portfolio packed with exceptional work. Pictured is an invitation for Uniqlo’s fall/winter preview.
As a side note, today on Twitter I’ll be giving away 3 packs of Doane Paper Writing Pads. Follow AisleOne on Twitter for a chance to win one of these sweet pads.
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Emmi
July 8th, 2009Emmi is a graphic design practice based in London that was established by Emmi Salonen. They focus on environmentally sound solutions for identities, websites, catalogues, books and other printed matter. Their broad portfolio really shows off their attention to detail. Love it. Pictured above is an annual review for the Finnish Institute and uses environmentally friendly papers and printing methods.
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Ruiz+Company
June 26th, 2009It’s not often that I fall in love with every single piece in a portfolio. That’s why I was so amazed by the work of Barcelona based studio, Ruiz+Company. Every piece in their portfolio is stunning and beautifully designed. Check out their new identity on the homepage. Stunning.
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Type Factory
June 25th, 2009Fascinating branding work by University College Falmouth student, Huda Abdul Aziz. Type Factory is a full branding project for a fictional typographic museum in South Kensington. The project was awarded a merit by ISTD. I think this is a great example of how masking parts of the characters can create an interesting form, while not disturbing the legibility of the type.
Here’s more from the designer about the idea behind the project:
The concept revolves around the theme of deconstruction. The brand values of the Type Factory identity are informative, engaging and dynamic. The brand promise is about seeing type differently. The design solution includes the logo, a booklet to promote the venue, advertising and applications within the museum.