Second Draft

Lucian Bernhard "Priester" matches poster (1906) - View original image We often talk about minimalism in modern web design—stripping away the clutter to focus on the user’s primary need. But as with most things in our industry, this isn’t a new idea. I was reading an excellent article on DailyArt Magazine recently about Plakatstil (literally "Poster Style"), and it struck me how relevant these century-old principles still are. Originating in Germany in the early 1900s, Plakatstil was a reaction against the complex, swirling patterns of Art Nouveau. It was initiated almost by accident in 1906 by Lucian Bernhard. The story goes that he entered a poster competition for Priester matches and, trusting his instincts, simply painted two matches and the brand name on a flat black background. It was bold, direct, and completely rejected the ornamental fuss of the time. Hans Rudi Erdt's "Opel" poster (1911) - View original image The key features of Plakatstil—fl...

Some stationery to show you! The work in our studio is very diverse, I think that is because of all the wonderfully interesting companies we work with in Cornwall. Large or small I really enjoy meeting new clients and sussing out what they need.  Recently we met with bespoke carpenter, Nick Paul Williams, who had a refreshingly creative approach to his joinery. We are building him a website as we speak, but first we started with the brand. He already had an emblem of an oak leaf and was keen on keeping the colours of gold and blue. Our challenge was to move this logo on to become a brand that rightly represented this young craftsman.  Reducing his name to NPW and including 'bespoke' helped to communicate the personal aspect of Nick's work. Also to make clear that he can turn his hand to all aspects of joinery we picked out three key elements; carpentry, joinery and construction.  We also provided Nick with a separate element that he could use as a stamp o...

A new and exciting project for us is Samphire, a luxury chef prepared food service delivered to your door frozen or chilled. Serving the Rock, North Cornwall area this great brand is perfect for lazy evenings in, special occasions or holiday makers.  Our clients approached us with a clear vision, the name Samphire refers to the delicious plants grown by the sea, really good for you and really yummy. I used the fresh green and the paired it with black for a seal-like logo that speaks of quality and has a hand made, artisan aesthetic. We then carried this hand made feel through to the website using textures and illustration to further communicate the delicious chef prepared food. The website features a blog incorporated on the Home page where the posts alternate and show the latest from the kitchen.

Having our design studio based in beautiful Cornwall means we often design for accommodation clients. Every cottage, hotel, campsite has its own personality which we really enjoy trying to capture. Clients Lanneves Cottage Holidays approached us to design them a logo and a website to promote their self-catering cottage in Lanivet, the heart of Cornwall. First we designed their logo, capturing the holiday feel. This lovely cottage has been thoughtfully decorated and comes with a private garden and access to vegetable patches and play equipment. We used the hens and chicks to suggest family and illustrated elements, which we picked up on the website, show the country location and homely feel. We used bright bold colours of rosy red, bright Cornish blue and a verdant green. Next was their website. We kept the handmade feel throughout with illustrative touches, bright and beautiful photographs and a contemporary mix of fonts. Using fading images on the Home page to suggest the life...

We thought we'd show you one of our projects, Rooke Cottages, a family run company that we recently completed rebranding. They have beautiful five star cottages not far from our studio. I started with the logo, using muted shades inspired by traditional paint colours and created a little motif of a leaf communicating the idyllic countryside location. I used both a contemporary and a traditional font showing the modern feel of the interiors of these old stone cottages. The beautiful old farm buildings have been completely renovated and furnished to a really high standard. Next we focussed on the website. Our client wanted to let their pictures to do the talking, so I kept the design very minimal, with the palette of greys and soft greens and plenty of white space. A large sliding image dominates the home page with a snippet from the blog and a featured cottage. Rooke have eight accommodations available, seven cottages based on their family working farm and a well a...

We recently completed an eccommerce website for a local Cornish business, The Cornish Flower Shop. Our client already had a website and was selling her fresh flowers online but wanted to expand. We started with her logo drawing inspiration from the bright colours of the flowers she grew so we created a colour scheme of green and pink. I used some elements of illustration in the logo but it is quite simple using only one colour and is a vector image. To accompany this I also illustrated one of our clients bouquets to use as an extra element and show a combination of fresh and friendly hues. Next we moved onto the website. One of our clients unique selling points was her location, these flowers before they are pressented to you at your door have lived a charmed life! They are grown on a small scale on a Cornish farm with views to both coasts. So with this in mind I wanted to use quite a bit of photography in the site setting the scene. The home page I have designed to have ...

We are currently working with a client on a new magazine, The Southwest Magazine. It is a very exciting project that meant starting from scratch to create a brand and the look for the magazine. The new magazine will be funded by advertisers but free to consumers and will represent the whole of the South West, showcasing all that the region has to offer and tempting potential tourists. We started by creating the brand. I designed several options taking into account the brand's application across many variables. The logo that was chosen is contemporary and clean with the accent colour of bright cyan to suggest sea or sky. I also created a few variations on the logo to suit all its different applications. With the logo agreed the next stage was to produce a flyer to promote the magazine and to give an indication of the style. We designed a DL flyer working with stock images to introduce the new magazine as 'a different perspective'. Then the brand was applied ...

Buttermilk Shop wanted a fresh contemporary look for their Cornish fudge company, but essential in the brief was ensuring that their primary market was not alienated during the change. This is a challenge we face with many projects, as the years spent building up a customer base are not to be taken lightly. We came up with a clean typographic solution which could be placed onto different colours to reflect different flavours on the packaging. This is accompanied by a small line drawing, reflecting the Cornish coastline. The vector image is key to the connection between old and new, a crisp modern style of illustration representing the long tradition of Cornish fishing ports where the Buttermilk shops are located.

We have just completed work on the new identity of Riding Out The Recession, a fund raising bike ride from Cornwall to Cape Town by Sean Maher. Marie has been working on the project, and wrote the following about the process so far: “Sean came to us to see if we could help him with branding and a website for his bike expedition. We thought his plan to 'ride out the recession' was a great idea and wanted to help so he can get the maximum support for his charities. We started by creating a logo for him, looking for something that tells the story of his journey. We choose a hand-drawn style that reflects a personal feel, whilst the colours suggest the action and adventure of his quest. We are looking forward to keeping up with Sean's progress as we work on other elements of the project, such as his website, which will feature a blog and image gallery so everyone can keep up to date with his latest movements. We are very excited to be involved, and hope Sean will raise lots of ...

This is when we are especially pleased the studio has very large windows. After such a dismal Summer, all this sun is a real treat, but we still have to get on with our work! The Wadebridge Bathroom Studio project is almost complete, next week we will be picking up the new signs for the Bess Park Road location. In the future there will be a need for some at Perch where they are building the new units. Another project that is nearing completion is the website for the Nut Hatch barbers in Wadebridge. We have been working with their existing brand and creating a clear representation of their barber shop. Last week they started offering shaves to their customers, and the site will tell you a little more about this service. We are well advanced in creating a new website for Brookfields Bed and Breakfast, run by Ron and Robbie Caswell. When I get back to the studio I will add the logo to this post that we completed for them a couple of weeks ago. They were looking for something that c...