The Edit: five new projects including The Açai Collective by Darling Visual Communications

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.

From their shop in Singapore, The Açai Collective offers creamy fruit bowls made with a blended base of organic, sugar and additive-free organic açai berries. Commissioned to build their brand from the ground up, local design firm Darling Visual Communications sought to express the intense pleasure provided by a good serving of açai. Their resulting direction is loud, primarily due to the cobalt blue colour that engulfs every application of the brand. “The other açai brands in the market are presented in pastel, wholesome and soothing colours,” Darling’s Chin Yuanhong reveals, “so we wanted something strikingly different to stand out within the cluttered market.” Alongside the colour choice, striking halftone imagery flows throughout the identity system. “Initially, we were trying to use dots and circles (the shape of açai berries) to create secondary graphics; however, we subsequently applied the design language onto images to create a consistent tone,” Yuanhong explains. Together with understated sans serif typography, the various elements unite to form a multi-faceted identity that moves as one across printed materials and packaging.

Conceptualised as a promotional project, Studio Hrastar’s identity for Monica Strinati aims to reflect the imaginary fashion designer’s handmade techniques and use of high-quality materials such as silk, cashmere and velvet. Founder of the Ljubljana-based studio, Tomaž Hrastar's, explains that he chose the sans serif Belleza for the logotype to add “a classy feel like the older fashion brand logos,” while the “nice sharp ends of the letters also add a bit of seriousness to the brand.” It’s accompanied by functional classic Aktiv Grotesk, creating a subtle contrast with the logotype’s thick and thin letterforms.

Lock Film is a video production agency based in London, built on a foundation of robust experience. In search of a new visual identity and digital presence, they commissioned the expertise of Birmingham and London-based design studio Common Curiosity. Inspired by the ever-present perforations found on the sides of traditional film reels, the resulting identity aims to express a characterful nod towards films humble beginnings. Through its striking combination of black, white, TrueType’s TT Runs and uncoated G . F Smith Colorplan, the identity is bold, confident and ownable.

Founded and designed by Leeds-based independent branding agency Robot Food, Stories & Ink offers award-winning tattoo aftercare products formulated with specialist ingredients. Having been renamed from Electric Ink following a strategic shift to solely selling the product online, the agency saw an opportunity to reassess the visual side of the brand and create room for broader growth. The new-look revolves around illustrations from Tom Gilmour to build on the belief that today’s consumers “choose to interact with brands that truly reflect their own personal values and beliefs.” Reflective of meaningful, inclusive conversations around tattoos, the new name and identity aim to reflect an inclusive space where tattoo enthusiasts can share their personal stories. That ethos comes to life on the packaging, which feels more akin to contemporary health and beauty brands with illustrations stripped right back to a single icon for each product within the range.

Produced in the UK, Whisp is a sparkling water company that creates low calorie, vegan, lightly-alcoholic beverages made without sugar and plastic. Working closely alongside copywriter Jessica Weiss, London-based designer Mel Yee devised the brand’s identity to convey freedom and fun through the straightforward concept of ‘up’. The design of the cans successfully does so through an adaptable, gravity-defying wordmark set in Good Type Foundry’s high contrast sans serif Opposit. Paired with a considered selection of pastels, the typography seamlessly scales whichever canvas it finds itself within to convey a sense of weightlessness and reflect the delicate nature of Whisp’s beverages.