A NEW BOOK FROM GESTALTEN CATALOGS THE BRIGHTEST EXAMPLES OF INNOVATIVE BRANDING.
by Belinda Lanks / FastCompany
Branding campaigns don’t often make mainstream headlines, but when they do, they’re about the bigwig companies–Coca-Cola, Apple, and Nike, to name a few. And we usually take notice only when brands go wildly and horribly astray–think Peter Arnell’s disastrous repackaging of Tropicana, or Gap’s unwelcome Helvetica logo. The real innovations in branding, however, are happening at small companies, which can experiment with daring and quirky concepts–without being beholden to executive boards, shareholders, or their own legacies. Some of the best examples are compiled in a new book titled Introducing: Visual Identities for Small Businesses from Gestalten.
What makes these campaigns so successful? A strong visual identity, sure, but also a deep understanding of how these businesses define themselves (and their potential customers). Because these outfits cater to a certain niche, they don’t have to appeal to everyone, which in turn, liberates them to take the risks that yield creative rewards.
Check out as you scroll below, featuring identities for everything from a Zen-inspired dental practice to a bike shop specializing in hard-to-get parts. There’s no shortage of inspiration here.
WARBY PARKER, NEW YORK CITY; IDENTITY BY THE BEAR CAVE
The Bear Cove teamed up with Warby Parker as the creative force behind the brand’s 2010 launch, creating a pared-down, handsome identity.
The blue and white color scheme becomes a branded motif.
The Warby Parker offices.
GHETTO FILM SCHOOL, NEW YORK, NEW YORK; IDENTITY BY ATTACK
A nonprofit based in the South Bronx, Ghetto Film School teaches high school students to make their own narrative films. Attack developed a branding system based on the gaffer’s tape commonly used on film sets.
COPENHAGEN PARTS, COPENHAGEN DENMARK; IDENTITY BY GOODMORNING TECHNOLOGY
The Danish design studio launched the independent bicycle brand Copenhagen Parts in 2009, with the aim of attracting a large customer base while maintaining their credibility as a supplier to the underground bike community. Along with the identity, Goodmorning Technology custom-designed the Bike Porter, a handlebar with an integrated basket.
The missing letters in the logo are a tribute to diehard bikers, who are always on the lookout for hard-to-find parts.
This London practice prides itself on being the anti-dental clinic: calm, friendly, and peaceful. The identity, by Mind Design, supports that notion with a raking patterns inspired by Japanese Zen gardens.
D100 DENTISTRY; IDENTITY BY MIND DESIGN, 2009
That theme continues throughout the office. Here, the hallways …
… and here, the outlines around various pieces of furniture around the office.
HENHOUSE, LONDON; IDENTITY BY ANDREAS NEOPHYTOU
For Henhouse, a London-based post-production company specializing in luxury and fashion media, Andreas Neophytou designed an “HH” logo that “plays with the concept of optical illusion–a reference to the studio’s extensive skill base in the field of image manipulation and the corresponding ability to present the impossible as visual reality.”
Neophytou used the “HH” as a grid to create a different logo for each discipline Henhouse covers: film, photography, CGI, and digital imagery.
JOE AND CO., LONDON; IDENTITY BY HYPERKIT
For an unconventional barber shop in London’s Soho neighborhood, Hyperkit created a straightforward identity using unusual colors and pattern combinations.
MTLL ARQUITECTOS, SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCIA, MEXICO; IDENTITY BY ANAGRAMA
Anagrama used the initials of the architecture firm’s founders, Miriam Torres and Luis Loya, as the basis for a minimalist brand mark, which conveys the duo’s commitment to simplicity and function.
The typography has delicate serifs, to communicate “security and reliability.”
You can buy the book for $52 here.
SANDSOF.com (a CREATIVE CAPSULE) 