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Cartell Music / 2011 So Frenchy So Chic / Australia wide
Curated French music compilation / type mark and symbol /
colour and mono / applied to packaging, advertising and print
Developed 2010 / 6 week project

K5 Transport / Australia wide
National transport and logistics group / type mark and symbol /
colour and mono / applied to livery, collateral and web
Developed 2010 / 30 week project

Burger Monster / Melbourne
Fast food outlet / type mark and symbol /
colour and mono / applied to packaging, signing, advertising and print
Developed 2011 / 12 week project

Australian Graphic Design Association / 48 Event – cross roads theme / Melbourne Brisbane
Design Event Brand / type mark and symbol /
colour and mono / applied to packaging, signing, advertising and print
Developed 2011 / 12 week project

Kere Kere / product marks / Melbourne
Sub brand for cafe / symbol /
colour and mono / applied to poster, signing, instant print
Developed 2011 / 12 week project

Bistrode CDB/ Identity / Sydney
Brand variation / type mark /
colour and mono / applied to bill folds, cards, advertising signing, instant print
Developed 2010 / 4 week project

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The call for new brand identities is one way we occupy ourselves. The emphasis on brand in contemporary culture, or brandmania, has brought about a little confusion of – what is a brand, what is a logo, what is a trade mark?

Our take on the situation is that a brand is the overall sensory presentation of a commercial or cultural entity. A brand identity, corporate identity is the visual collateral programme, inclusive of print, digital, advertising and action. A trade mark, brand graphic or logo is the symbol, graphic and type based presentation – the little thing in the corner of a layout that we are often asked to make bigger, smaller, wider, happier, otherwise the whole marketing campaign will fall in a heap.

The work above is a selection of trademarks that we have produced in recent months. As with all our work we start with the most basic outcomes from which we can apply colour, effect and filters. As mentioned previously; clarity, design craft with the potential conceptual twist, is the basis of all of the above work. Some works are reworkings of existing brands, new works, or outcomes that are developed to work within a set graphic framework or marketing approach.

Animated sample of identity

Why do we keep our work simple?

The creative process is often influenced by materials and tools. This statement is indeed relevant in the marketing and branding of today. Sophisticated graphic software allows today’s designer to embellish, fluff up, and bling their work now more than ever. With all the new tricks and toys one can’t help reflecting on the idea, that the outcome needs an idea, and the idea of decoration, is still only the idea : to decorate. I can hear my Grandfather mumbling… just because something exists doesn’t make it good, or a good suit can’t make a fat man look thin. In this situation one has to find comfort from the market, whom without fail have knack of spotting the fraud, embracing the original and then vote with their feet, wallets or attention. often without too much fuss.

The history of identity and brand is founded on simple and clear principles.

As designers raised in the late 1980s we can’t help being romanced by the pioneering brand identities of Paul Rand, Chermayeff & Geismar, Saul Bass, Michael Wolff, Gert Dumbar, in Australia : Tony Lunn, John Spatchurst, Brian Sadgrove, Garry Emery and Ken Cato. These people discovered and defined brand identity and had a vision for brand identity as clear, graphically robust, uncomplicated, backed up by a conceptual twist, a meaningful idea or dialogue.

Our communication response to Artwalk

Above and beyond the look, or the mark, or the brand, clients come to us because they want to create a visual point of difference, so that they can help customers choose their products, create a commercial story and ultimately develop enough interest and awareness to create new and repeat transactions. In other words, for the CFOs, business owners, our work helps clients to create more income and grow market share.

The commercial aim of this project is create a new brand identity for this programme, develop a distinctive commercial visual, foster the growth of awareness and stimulate new customer transactions. The market are people of all ages who appreciate art, walking and Melbourne as a cultural precinct.

The identity for Artwalk Melbourne was a gift for our designers. The name, the distinctive visual clichés held by the broader community, helped us to define the idea of artwork; portrait canvas, then strap onto our canvas legs made up of a capital ‘A’ and there you have a symbol for “Walking Art” or “Moving Art”. We mixed typefaces to contrast traditional and contemporary themes. The differing scales of the typography suggest, depth and potential movement. We have also created a range icons to strap onto our legs which include art concept and artists themselves. Colour and images are not fixed allowing the idea of diversity to come through. See the following concept images and visuals.

Concept visual used to illustrate the "Walking Art" concept

The brand identity proposal in visual context

Concept drawings "Walking Art" marketing images

In the early days of this project we have assisted the client to develop the brand identity and marketing story, develop a marketing proposal and collateral shortlist which starts with a modest range of print collateral, and to focus upon developing a robust web presence and social media campaign.

Thank you Artwalk for a wonderful collaboration, watch this space for further development of the brand identity and market collateral.

Visit Artwalk here

Type and graphic detail

Mono identity

Colour identity - orange option

Mono symbol

Cover

Series type detail

First reveal

Internal spread – notes and disks

So Frenchy So Chic / The Unofficial Soundtrack to the 2011 French Film Festival / Australia wide
type mark and symbol / colour and mono / CD packaging, poster, PR, advertising
Developed 2011 / 6 week project

A chic diva by Kat floats in a cocktail of type and dreamy bubbles. Thanks to JF for another great collaboration.

Purchase your copy, visit Cartell Music or Cartell Downloads for details.

Completed Christmas gift

Felt pouch, customised docket book, complete with pencils

Coffee Supreme is a coffee roaster who enjoys the inventive, creating and discovery process. Charged with a brief to make something useful for Christmas, the studio collaborated and devised a café order kit.

In over twenty years Andrew has produced a range of custom gifts – shoulder bags, folios, coffee cups, pencils, stickers, aprons, hankerchiefs, garments, jackets, hats, diaries, folders, paper kits and paper accessories. Behind the presentation of a felt pocket, a folder or garment is a nutty process of chasing down materials, skilled makers and co-ordinating the production of components. Key to these projects are quality manufacturers and makers. As many Australian manufacturers have closed in the last two decades, due to cheaper offshore manufacturers, our makers have become a cherished group of skilled manufacturers, that we scour industrial estates, regional factories and chase down leads to find.

The outcome we devised had several components – a bespoke felt pouch, sealed with custom printed cloth tape, we sourced old school docket books and pencils to complete the kit. Each element required detailed drawing, artwork, material sourcing, production specification and production supervision with the final product coming together in under six weeks. Supreme made savings in time and money by chasing up estimates, samples, prototype, delivery of components and production supervision.

Happy Christmas Supreme, thanks again for another interesting communication project.

While most Australians are yet to come to terms with, or show a remote interest its vibrant creative and design culture (there is far too much sport to watch and minerals to dig up for that nonsense), people from places far and wide are actively investigating and seeking out our way of making work.

Behind many of the projects appearing on the website, for that matter behind many design projects on the internet, are endless hours, care and design-nerd-un-billable-love, which often goes unnoticed. All of this effort is made worthwhile, when invitations to share ideas and collaborate come into studio from people and places in different time zones. During May this year we are going to San Francisco to share our creative practice with Gravity Free – Gravity Free is a multidisciplinary design innovation conference.

Thank you to Michael Vanderbyl and Lee Knight for your interest in the studio and its work. All we need to do in the mean is develop a new presentation, that goes beyond a fancy show and tell. Thanks to initiatives like TED and Twitter, audiences can participate in the appraisals and critique… we are sh*tting ourselves.

Visit Gravity Free here