Graphical House’s sub-brand for Todd & Duncan balances heritage with a fresh progressive voice

Glasgow-based branding studio Graphical House have continued their long-term collaboration with internationally acclaimed cashmere brand Todd & Duncan; developing an original yet integrable brand for their ‘1867’ accessories collection that effortlessly sits alongside their established identity.

“The decision to maintain the new accessories collection within the overall Todd & Duncan brand was really based on the pre-existing reputation,” Founder and Creative Director Daniel Ibbotson tells us. “Todd & Duncan are known worldwide for the quality of their cashmere yarn,” he explains, “and even though the pre-existing brand was very much B2B, we felt there was enough awareness for that heritage and provenance,” noting the importance of the latter in the new collection’s success with consumers.

Led by the ‘Living Heritage’ maxim, the team sought a comprehensive exploration of the identity – spread across digital spaces – such as the e-commerce website, as well as printed materials and packaging. Both typographically and photographically subverting the timid convention associated with cashmere clothing brands.

Carving out the collection’s identity began with developing the 1867 maker’s mark; signalling an endorsement from the primary brand, whilst also denoting the heritage, history and expertise behind Todd & Duncan and their products. “The typefaces are Conglomerate, used within the new 1867 Makers Mark and Living Heritage line as well as for primary text,” Ibbotson explains, implementing Brownfox’s Formular as the workhorse across secondary, supporting text. Combined, they compliment Todd & Duncan’s Baskerville and Sabon-based wordmark through their leniency towards traditional editorial serifs, whilst creating a striking contemporary contrast that cements the accessories line as its own entity.

Looking to further maintain consistency across the virtual and physical environments the brand inhabits, Graphical House opted for a signature ‘Prussian Blue’ to lead the identity’s palette. “We were looking for something that had a certain neutrality about it,” Ibbotson recalls, “colour is such a critical aspect of the Todd & Duncan 1867 offer so we needed to avoid products clashing with packaging,” he suggests, whilst maintaining a defining character and intrigue. “The deep, almost slate blue just felt right, subtle enough not to detract from the products, but rich in its own way” Ibbotson concludes, “with a real sense of luxury” to boot.

Graphical House

Todd & Duncan