How&How adorn their pro-bono identity for Amphico with watery inktraps and lotus-inspired imagery

Operating at the intersection of science, engineering and design, Amphico is paving the way for a radically simple solution to the outdoor industry’s recycling problem. Having already created an exciting innovation in recyclable material, Amphico’s Founder Jun Kamei was in need of a platform and brand that would best communicate Amphitex (a mono-material that can be given a second life) and his more comprehensive vision. Looking for a forward-thinking creative partner, they applied to the first iteration of How&How’s GetSet – a supportive initiative launched by the multinational agency to help climate-tech startups with their branding, pro-bono.

We were curious to know, why did they choose Amphico in particular as their first beneficiary of the programme? Giving us an insight into the decision process, Carl Doneza (one of the project’s lead designers) explains, “we had so many applicants to our GetSet programme when it launched that it took us several weeks to get down to the final best few.” It wasn’t an easy process, as everyone in the agency had a vote to decide who made the final round. “So we got a shortlist of three, and despite the other two companies being also top of their game, Amphico had such a great product, credentials and vision that we knew we just had to go with them in that round. We look for founders and people within the team who are really articulate, engaging and passionate about what they’re doing, and Fergus and Jun had that in spades.” 

Working with the team at Amphico, How&How built a visual concept around the lotus flower, “whose naturally water-retardant properties were the original source of inspiration for Amphitex,” Doneza adds. With this in mind, La Bolde Vita Foundry’s Zimula was chosen as the primary typeface due to its soft-edge, ‘watery’ inktraps and circular letterforms. The agency utilised two styles of the family – Regular and Inkspot – to communicate varying levels of formality. 

Klim Type Foundry’s Pitch sits alongside diagrams and infographics to deliver key information whilst highlighting the more technical side of the brand. “The Pitch typeface has terminals which mimic the droplets and waterproof/water-retardant properties of the material,” Doneza tells us. “If Zimula offsets the water drop, Pitch leans more towards replicating it, and they work together symbiotically like that.” 

Continuing the lotus flower theme, How&How extract the colours of both the leaf and flower for the identity’s palette. “We wanted a mix of bright accents offset with the calmer green and chocolate tones,” the designer explains, “in order to provide a palette packed with meaning but also contemporary freshness and bite too.” At the heart of the visual language, the leading concept is brilliantly captured in its logo. The circular form contains undulating lines; reminiscent of not only the leaves of a lotus flower but also water and the natural landscape – further reflecting Amphico’s outdoor credentials and ambitions. 

How&How

Amphico