The Edit: five new projects including Shake-It by Olssøn Barbieri

Each and every day, we're lucky to discover dozens of interesting and inspiring projects from around the world. From global identities and campaigns to side projects and independently published books, The Edit is home to five of them; every two weeks.

First produced in Italian apothecaries during the Renaissance, cordials were originally alcoholic and seen as medicine in which herbs and spices were allowed to steep. Fast forward to today, however, cordials contain no alcohol and predominantly exist as sweet fruit-flavoured drinks. Enter Shake-It – a Nordic brand that’s repositioning cordials as a key ingredient in cocktail making, and in doing so, has already become the largest cordial mixer brand in Denmark. Taking on the design of Shake-It’s packaging, Oslo-based studio Olssøn Barbieri identified the need to focus on quality and credibility alongside the brand’s relatively self-explanatory name. Inspired by the first bartender’s recipe book from 1862 as well as 19th-century medicinal labels, their concept aims to rekindle the legacy of mixing and restore pride to cordials in a cocktail making context. Working with Italian illustrator Irene Laschi, they devised a series of fruit illustrations to communicate the main ingredients of each product, as well as drink illustrations as a nod to the Italian aperitifs of the 70s. The bottle itself is inspired by vintage carafes, in reference to their association with hosting and special occasions, and classic glass juicers, due to their everyday usability. The design is capped by the sturdy application of Colophon Foundry’s Aperçu – a typeface choice that successfully anchors the bottle’s more playful and illustrative components.

WW is an artistic collaboration between artist Katarina Wiklund and architect Susanna Wiklund, otherwise known as ‘WiklundWiklund.’ Working together for several years on art in public spaces, WW combines their expertise in visual arts, scenography, architecture and interior design; acting as an open place for experimentation and exploration. Created with the help of Stockholm-based design practice Studio Reko, ‘WW – Selected Works’ is a growing series of printed objects celebrating the duo’s creative output. Each publication summarises one project or several within the same discipline, with the aim to explore multiple formats, materials and techniques while maintaining a consistent visual expression.

Founded in London by Sophie Karg, By Pariah combines rich materiality and heritage production techniques to produce jewellery collections rife with high-quality gold and precious stones. Coming on board during the brand’s conception, design collective Twenty Assembly worked closely with Karg to develop a visual identity that highlights the individuality and diversity of her designs. The resulting graphic system revolves around explorative typographic layouts and offset photography, adding a contemporary quirk to the traditional feeling instilled by their choice of serif typeface.

Rob Ryan Projects is a building design, interior and property development company with a focus on bespoke residential projects. Commissioned to create their identity, Australian design studio Univers approached the project with reduction, simplicity and longevity in mind. At the core of their solution is Nodo Typefoundry’s NT Bau – a stripped-back sans serif typeface that’s design was conveniently inspired by the German word for ‘construction building.’ The resulting identity is stark yet characterful in its minimalism, with explorative approaches to layout allowing the refined palette of elements to feel fresh and most importantly, appropriate.

Based in Perth, Sam Price works with new technology and emerging mediums to produce projection-based installations and interactive exhibitions while also working as a visual artist and musician. Gesture Systems – the collaborative design operation of Ryan Vincent and Rory Ferrante – were brought on board to help Price add colour to his output in the form of a cohesive identity system. Finding inspiration from the programmes and equipment used as part of his work, the duo devised a series of symbols to represent his multi-disciplinary approach. Combined with Dinamo’s Favorit in its regular and monospaced styles, the resulting identity possesses a distinctly technical and structured feel that represents the digital precision of Price’s output.