Grado by High Tide

Since 1953, Grado have been handmaking headphones, phono cartridges, amps and accessories out of a narrow townhouse in Brooklyn, New York. The Grado family have always allowed their product to speak for itself, and recently commissioned local studio High Tide to help evolve the company’s identity with that in mind.

Inspired by the timeless simplicity of the Grado headphones, the new identity takes on a mid-century aesthetic that communicates only the essential information. The logotype is a modern take on Grado’s original logo, which used Herb Lubalin’s ITC Avant Garde Gothic. Some of the letters have been customised to allow them to connect to each other, just as Lubalin intended. The packaging is built around a robust typographic system which honours the 65 years Grado have spent perfecting the sound their headphones produces.

High Tide

Grado