The ten biggest branding stories of the year
Looking back on Design Week’s biggest branding stories, from two social media giants to Girlguiding, the National Portrait Gallery and Center Parcs, via the newly named Le Shuttle.
Branding
The latest news, analysis and opinion on visual identities, rebrands and logo design, from sports brands to start-up tech companies.
Koto creates new masterbrand for the Call of Duty franchise
The hero assets of Call of Duty’s new identity is a bespoke typeface called Hitmaker, inspired by the games roots and military heritage.
DesignStudio revives Trivago’s “unique and charming spirit” with new identity
Hand-drawn illustrations and a “warm and inviting” tone of voice look to bring personality to the brand and encourage users to return.
Five of our favourite fonts from 2023
Featuring out-there designs inspired by spherical marble forms, a stencil font that’s protest-ready, and typography to build chairs with.
Design Week’s most popular news stories of 2023
From firsts in football and festivals to Royal design stories that will go down in history, here are the ten news stories that got you reading this year.
SomeOne designs lattice-inspired identity for Graff
The new designs – including the brand’s first ever monogram – are inspired by the diamond jewellery specialist’s unique metalwork.
Why the future of publishing hinges on bold creativity
Studio Airport has been Emergence magazine’s creative partner since its inception, expanding editorial design into ambitious new territories.
Pantone reveals “youthful” but “timeless” 2024 colour of the year
In packaging and multimedia design, the colour of the year could be used to bring “a vintage vibe” to a project, according to Pantone.
“A world of wonder for pets” in Ragged Edge’s designs for Omlet
The new designs use tactile 3D illustrations and cute characters to “celebrate the bond between pets and people”.
Design Week’s most popular long reads of 2023
From Twitter’s rebrand to X, to the collaborative process of designing the UK’s first gallery of South Asian culture, here are our top long reads of 2023.
Charity takes the lead in Really Good Beer Society’s new identity
The rebrand led by Derek&Eric sees “a harlequin colour palette” added to the identity, with hues relating to the name and charitable cause each beer supports.
Pentagram’s Reddit refresh aims to unite cohesion and “creative spirit”
Pentagram New York has refreshed the brand identity for Reddit, aiming to make its Snoo mascot “as iconic as Super Mario”.
Kids’ brand Talou targets ‘conscious creatives and ‘mindful mums’
The Yard Creative’s visual identity for new children’s circular fashion brand Talou “celebrates the joy, creativity, and exploration of childhood”.
Stained glass over stag parties: inside Belgium’s first beer spa
Stained glass windows are a core element of Bath & Barley’s interiors and identity by WeWantMore, referencing Belgium’s history of beer brewing in abbeys.
Paist’s modular identity looks to disrupt “same-old” toothpaste market
Designed by Two Times Elliott, Paist’s identity features a modular typeface that works in tandem with a bright colour palette and abstract 3D forms to create a unique brand system.
A new identity for Resident Advisor’s creative studio by HelloMe
Berlin-based HelloMe has created a new identity and website for electronic music platform Resident Advisor’s creative studio, 23:59.
Nice and Serious rebrands Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The protected areas of land have a new identity system that allows each location to have its own personality while remaining part of “a living patchwork”.
Nomad develops identity for Sky Live’s AI-powered home workout app Mvmnt
The app’s green and orange gradient colour palette was chosen to “exude pulsating energy” while also indicating how well movements are being performed.
People People brings retro poolside aesthetic to Seattle restaurant Layers
The sandwich restaurant aims to invoke memories of “lakeside summer camps, picnics and classic striped beach towels” through its suite of playful illustrations.
How design helped OpenAI transition from niche to mainstream
Area 17 designed a new identity and site for OpenAI featuring “humanist ” design references and touches of “magic” as it moved from research-focused non-profit to a mainstream talking point.
Lukecharles overhauls Cats Protection identity to bring “authority” to the brand
An “elegant feline form” has been incorporated into the wordmark while “unique feline touches” feature in the bespoke headline font.
Koto overhauls music streaming service Deezer’s identity with pulsating logo
The heart logo has two “dynamic states” to mirror the experience of listening to music and is made up of rounded forms that inspired bespoke headline typeface Deezer Sans.
Soapbox refreshes brand and website for The National Centre for Social Research
The type-led identity and new website looks to foreground the organisation’s purpose as well as key findings from its published research.
“A discovery issue”: how creative careers app ERIC is increasing access to the industry
ERIC co-founder Samantha Hornby explains how the app is looking to make the creative industries more accessible to the next generation and how designers can help.
