A geometric new look for KLC School of Design

KLC is based in Chelsea, west London, and focuses on interior and garden design courses. Branch was brought in to work on the branding following a pitch in April last year, having previously worked with KLC on project such as brochure design.

The brief was to create a new look that made the school ‘feel more like the professional and established school that they are’, says Branch.

Craig Dimond, Branch creative director, says, ‘They wanted it to look cleaner, sharper and more design-led. Before, it was based on the typeface Gill Sans, which is very traditional, but we wanted something a but more modern so we went for Replica.’

The branding is geometry-inspired, looking to the systems ‘found within the designs of the students and KLC’s intent to guide their students to transform spaces’, says the consultancy.

The new identity system is based around a 45˚ axonometric grid, using lines based on a projection of a 3D object, showing the three principal axes, but without perspective.

This theme references the parallel perspective graphic technique used by artists, architects, and engineers  – and as such, the students at KLC.

A  colour palette of greens, yellow, blue, greys and white is used in various permutations. Dimond says, ‘The colours make it feel vibrant, but they can also work in soft transparency to get a strong visual language that can also be used quite subtly and retain integrity’.

This identity system means there are multiple different variations on the shapes and patterns that can be used across different applications, such as brochures, stationery, magazine advertising, internal interior graphics and the website, which was designed in-house at KLC.