Fresh look for Coolbrands site



The annual Coolbrands initiative returns next month with a new visual identity devised by multidisciplinary design consultancy Clusta.


Clusta, which specialises in interactive design, was appointed last autumn to redevelop the Coolbrands website for its 2008/2009 programme to reveal this year’s hottest member brands. It goes live next Friday.


Coolbrands will sport a fresh visual scheme that will be rolled out across a new website and accompanying flexi-bound Coolbrands book.


Clusta has created a new bespoke font for this year’s Coolbrands book, a bold departure from the more traditional Helvetica typeface, says Clusta creative director Matt Clugston.


‘We wanted to break away and try something a little more contemporary, so we developed a bespoke font to reflect Coolbrands’ cutting edge reputation,’ explains Clugston. ‘It’s a nice legible font, but still fresh and modern,’ he adds.


Ben Hudson, chief executive of Superbrands, agrees that it was vital for the Coolbrands identity to keep up with the most innovative, stylish brands in the business.


But the main design challenge, explains Clugston, was keeping the book as clean and simple as possible, to avoid any brand ‘clashes’.


‘The focus of the book had to be the brands themselves, so the grid system we used had to be flexible enough to work around some quite strong images –without giving preferential treatment to any one brand,’ he says.


Now in its eighth year, the Coolbrands programme pays tribute to the UK’s 500 coolest brands, judged by a panel of experts and consumers.


Coolbrands’ expert council consists of leading industry figures including Tom Savigar of the Future Laboratory, Roger Wade of Brands Incorporated and Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of the Centre for Brand Analysis.


For more information, visit www.coolbrands.uk.com.

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