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Poppy Thaxter
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Gusmanson’s identity for interior design store De Klare Lijn is designed to make you feel at home


Gusmanson’s identity for interior design store De Klare Lijn is designed to make you feel at home
Gusmanson’s identity for interior design store De Klare Lijn is designed to make you feel at home
Gusmanson’s identity for interior design store De Klare Lijn is designed to make you feel at home

De Klare Lijn are known as the leading interior design store in the Dutch city of Leiden, priding themselves on a longstanding reputation for selling beautiful furniture, lighting and homeware. With the future in mind, and aiming to reach an online audience, they were looking to modernise their communications. This was the job of boutique Netherlands-based agency Gusmanson, who have crafted a new identity for De Klare Lijn alongside an e-commerce platform. Retaining the original character and quirkiness of the store, the new visual language – which also includes window lettering, wall stickers and packaging – gives them a much-needed upgrade. 

Gusmanson’s identity for interior design store De Klare Lijn is designed to make you feel at home
Gusmanson’s identity for interior design store De Klare Lijn is designed to make you feel at home

The resulting identity is rooted in the welcoming and friendly atmosphere that can be found in the De Klare Lijn customer experience. Tailored with the goal to make you feel at home, the studio introduced a clear and concise logo paired with a bright colour palette that echoes the wide and diverse collection of goods available from the store. 

Gusmanson’s priority was to create a fun, but distinctly accessible design – evidenced in their typographic choices. The thinking behind their approach was influenced by the retailer’s staff, as Co-founder Bas Breugelmans explains, “the enthusiastic, service-oriented team, together with a wide collection of design, makes sure that everyone discovers something special at De Klare Lijn,” he tells us. “We, therefore, chose an accessible, no-nonsense style that invites you to step inside.”  

Gusmanson’s identity for interior design store De Klare Lijn is designed to make you feel at home
Gusmanson’s identity for interior design store De Klare Lijn is designed to make you feel at home

The base of the wordmark is Sharp Type’s Centra No. 2, a modernist-inspired geometric sans, which the team modified to incorporate a few surprising elements,  including sharpened rectilinear shoulders, evocative of furniture, as Breugelmans points out, “we liked the idea that the ‘K’ is shaped like a classic chair.” With messaging playing a crucial role in the identity system, such as tips and inspiration from the De Klare Lijn team, Gusmanson opted for a lighter weight of Centra No. 2 as the supporting typeface; noting “its accessible, symmetrical character” as an important factor in their decision.

Graphic Design

Gusmanson

Typography

Centra No. 2 (customised) by Sharp Type

Photography

Michèle Margot

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