Bauhaus Dessau Foundation Identity

Posted on April 5, 2011April 5, 2011 Posted in DesignTagged branding, graphic design, grid system, identity, print19 Comments

hort-bauhaus-dessau-identity

Beautiful identity system by Hort for the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. I love the use of Courier and how stripped down the overall look is. Feels very technical. Hort intentionally avoided the visual elements that we think of when we hear Bauhaus. Hort explains:

…we decided to search for a solution that would relate more to the original ideas of Germany’s most influential Modernist school instead of relying on the visual clichés connected to Bauhaus – it seems almost impossible to use circle, square and triangle nowadays without it coming across as ironic or historicist.

Watson & Company

Posted on March 25, 2011March 25, 2011 Posted in DesignTagged branding, graphic design, identity, print

Watson company

Even in The Big Apple there are still small agencies doing amazing work. For example Watson & Company is a small shop that has an exceptional body of work. Discovering great design always gives me a rush.

The Evolution of the Swissair Logo

Posted on February 9, 2011February 9, 2011 Posted in DesignTagged branding, graphic design, identity, logo

A great write up by Shelby White on the evolution of the Swissair logo starting in 1931, up until the company ceased operations in 2002.

The Consult

Posted on November 16, 2010November 16, 2010 Posted in DesignTagged branding, graphic design, identity, minimalism, modernism, print4 Comments

The Consult is an award-winning design agency based in Leeds, UK. Their portfolio is excellent, but my personal favorite is the corporate identity they did Stack Architects. Super simple, but a great visual play on the company name.

Red Design

Posted on October 22, 2010October 22, 2010 Posted in DesignTagged branding, graphic design, identity, print3 Comments

UK agency Red Design has sent me a sneak peak at the sexy new identity they created for music promotion company, Do. Here’s what they had to say about the project:

We developed a completely black and white identity which is in keeping with the bold and stripped back tone. Where possible we pushed this even further in a front and back reversed theme.

The mark is modular so for each application the supporting type changes slightly to encompass the name of the night that is being promoted. In other applications such as the stationary the name is replaced with the name of the card holder.

The stationary was printed on GF Smiths Colorplan stock. We duplexed an ebony and white stock and used a white foil block on the ebony side to ensure a high end black and white finish. The logo and contact information was printed in reverse on the back to continue the reversed theme.

Modern Publicity

Posted on April 26, 2010April 26, 2010 Posted in DesignTagged branding, graphic design, identity, stationery4 Comments

Former 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.