Design Week’s favourite projects from graduate season so far – part two
Graduate season is in full swing now, so we’ve rounded up our favourite projects from the most recently opened online showcases.
Branding
The latest news, analysis and opinion on visual identities, rebrands and logo design, from sports brands to start-up tech companies.
Standards Manual wants to change how brand guidelines are designed
Hamish Smyth and Jesse Reed are developing a new online platform that will help designers to create guidelines and clients to follow them properly.
This identity for an arts start-up aims to “empower” young voices
The branding for Critics’ Club – which places students from underrepresented backgrounds on art criticism courses – looks to appeal to this younger audience.
Design inspiration: the best projects from July
This month we were enamoured with offerings from across the design spectrum, from minimalist signage and intricate book illustrations, to sleek lighting and bold large-scale installations.
Coventry’s City of Culture 2021 branding is a “Brutalist blue tribute” to the city
Design studio Uncommon is behind the identity for the city, which will take up the City of Culture mantle in May 2021.
The United States Space Force rebrands less than a year after launch
While the latest branch of the American military revealed a logo earlier this year, it already has an update (and new motto).
Wavemaker’s rebrand is designed to “provoke positively”
NB Studio has created the new branding for one of the world’s biggest media agencies, with a logo that looks to topple expectations.
The Prince’s Trust’s redesign looks to create a “brand of positivity”
SomeOne’s identity for the charity has been designed with the youthful target audience in mind, with a refreshed tone of voice and visuals.
Sunhouse puts a “new spin” on Twister ice lolly identity
The new look for the brand aims to reposition it as “permissible treat”, and comes with a redrawn wordmark, rethought imagery and updated packaging.
Toyota reveals new logo and visual identity for Europe
The “forward-facing” brand identity for the Japanese car company includes an on-trend flat logo in an attempt to create a more “premium” appearance.
Behind the Royal Academy of Music’s “gritty” rebrand
Johnson Banks has created the new identity for the music conservatoire, which takes a more “forward-thinking” approach to its competitors.
This “darkly poetic” identity for a data rights agency is inspired by Orwell
Design studio Accept & Proceed and poet Tom Sharp have created the branding for a newly-established data consultancy group.
Currys PC World’s visual refresh aims to create a “bright world” of branding
The new appearance looks to give the retail brand a more consistent and “ownable” identity across both physical and digital spaces.
DixonBaxi gives Regent’s Place a brand to celebrate “radical softness”
The identity for the neighbourhood centres around a graphic “R” logo, which the studio says is designed to “almost disappear” when applied.
Nissan reveals new logo for the “digital world”
The company’s first new logo in 20 years was created by an in-house design team and looks to embrace both physical and digital platforms.
CBD company Lady A aims for luxury market with identity by NB Studio
The CBD company – which is “by women for women” – has branding that resists the more bohemian tropes of CBD and leans into luxury instead.
Ascend Studio eschews energy branding tropes with Edify’s visual refresh
The Australian energy start-up Edify was founded in 2015 but needed an identity to match its “established success” and wider work network.
Australia unveils new nation brand — but where is the kangaroo?
The visual identity — which includes a new golden logo — (almost) leaves out its famous kangaroo as Australia looks to tell other stories.
A gin brand that celebrates the “geological tapestry” of the Peak District
The identity for Shivering Mountain takes inspiration from the geological and botanical influences on the area, and introduces the world to the concept of “ginology”.
Astrid Stavro’s “tongue in cheek” identity for cereal brand OffLimits
The “next-gen” cereal brand has been branded by the graphic designer alongside illustrations from Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One.
Rangers FC reveals new crest and visual identity for “digital era”
The Scottish football club has a new visual identity, including a new crest, typeface, colour palette and range of assets tailored to digital platforms.
Amstel launches new global brand identity in bid for “coherence”
The Dutch beer company required a more united visual identity across its international markets, while also still adapting to local needs.
TGI Fridays becomes Fridays in brand shake-up
Design studio SomeOne has given the American restaurant chain a new identity in the hopes of making it a high street favourite.
Waze gets a “community-driven” brand refresh from Pentagram
Google-owned Waze has a new visual identity designed by Pentagram and its in-house creative team, which plays to the driving app’s social side.