Daily Updates: Jan 5
Design Spotlight is a curated database of design cases, showcasing daily updates from various design studios and agencies. Here are the updates from Jan 5.
Realms Group by Less-AndBetter
Brand Architecture And Naming For A Digital Entertainment Holding Company
Realms Group’s in-house brand team developed a scalable brand architecture to organise four fast-growing digital entertainment companies without enforcing visual uniformity. Through strategic workshops, the team defined a naming system rooted in authentic founder heritage, drawing on Nordic mythology. “Realms” and the Bifröst bridge convey distinct worlds connected by shared infrastructure. The parent brand uses a custom Milling typeface and structured gradients to signal technical precision while staying in the background on corporate and investor materials. Portfolio brands maintain full visual independence and category strength, supported by shared data, AI, and operational systems. The parent acts as a bridge—not a banner—so new brands can join and existing ones evolve without rebranding or corporate overlays.
Visual Identity And Typeface For Aura At Les Invalides
Aura is an immersive nighttime experience by Moment Factory that uses light projections to magnify heritage sites. For its new edition at Les Invalides in Paris, the project required a visual identity capable of conveying the scale and spectacle across on-site and promotional touchpoints. The resulting system centers on a trapezoidal wordmark that echoes the building’s upward perspective, with an open R, contrasting U, and paired As creating symmetry reminiscent of the monument. A bespoke typeface balances tradition and modernity, linking the logo with communications, advertising, and web applications while providing a distinctive brand signature. Event photography is credited to Moment Factory. Launched in 2024.
Gender Equality Index Uk by Pentagram
Visual Identity For A Uk Gender Equality Index
Pentagram created a public-facing identity for the Gender Equality Index UK, an initiative from the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London. The first UK tool to measure gender inequality at local authority level, the index required a confident, neutral, data-led system that reaches beyond academia. The brand uses a patchwork of vertical color blocks to echo indexing and classification, forming a flexible, data-driven language that scales across motion, digital tools and communications. Motion links the system to infographics, prioritising clarity and structured information. The DM Mono typeface underscores accuracy while remaining friendly and clear. The identity supports policy insight, advocacy and public debate, positioning the index as a robust analytical tool and catalyst for awareness and long-term change.
Brand Strategy And Identity For An Ai-powered Fashion Platform
Studio Nari partnered with Atorie, an AI-powered fashion platform, to overcome emotional sameness in a market split between mass speed and exclusionary luxury. Studio Nari reframed the proposition from access to craft toward the emotional reward of discovery, crystallised as a strategic directive: the feel of the find. This idea guided brand, product and experience through four principles—Atelier spirit, tactile by nature, perpetual energy and open-handed—prioritising materiality, movement and transparency. Audience definition focused first on culturally fluent insiders, then scaled to curious aspirers. The engagement spanned brand positioning, framework and architecture, identity systems, narrative and verbal expression, motion and packaging, and digital design. The outcome positioned Atorie to compete on meaning, building cultural equity and longevity with a living brand designed to move with culture and audience.
Brochure And Catalogue Art Direction For An Italian Mechanical Tools Manufacturer
Velvele Studio led art direction, catalogue and brochure design, and illustration for Bieffe, an Italian maker of customized mechanical tools. The brochure is conceived as a practical handbook for prospective customers, prioritizing process and precision over product listings to guide tailored orders. Material choices—hefty paper stock and tactile finishes—echo the raw materials used in production, adding a physical layer to the brand narrative. Illustration replaces typical product photography to emphasize customization through line and form. Complementary documentary-style factory photography reveals the company’s enduring values of craftsmanship, intelligence, and tradition. The result communicates Bieffe’s expertise clearly while equipping customers with everything needed to commission bespoke tools.