New Studio’s ‘fashiony’ not ‘graphicy’ identity for The Brooklyn Circus is striking and supportive

Internationally operating across New York, Lisbon and Athens, graphic design agency New Studio have been the masters of remote working, and testament to the success it can bring since officially forming in 2018. Linking up with Ouigi Theodore’s menswear fashion label The Brooklyn Circus in 2019, New Studio have since been working hand-in-hand with the company, determining its next steps as a brand, and how best to introduce the company’s accumulated cultural significance to the identity – and better yet help expand upon it.

A staple of Brooklyn, The BKc has been a support and haven to the local community since its inception in 2006, being the provider and instigator of cultural stories throughout its modern history. Wanting to thoroughly demonstrate this alongside a striking new identity, New Studio have also developed The BKc’s brand strategically, positioning the editorial, cultural content to be equal to the items on sale – thereby showing how one does not exist without the other.

“We have a wonderful relationship with Ouigi Theodore,” New Studio explain, working in tandem to develop an identity that is both refreshing and referential – such as the literal elephant in the room. “The elephant logo already existed and we decided to keep it,” New Studio tell us, capitalising on the recognition of the logomark, as well as the meaning behind the animal itself. “Elephants are herd animals, they take care of their herd, they are gentle giants, loving to their offspring,” New Studio add, “all these characters perfectly suit BKc.”

Alongside the elephant, New Studio intelligently crafted an identity that is supportive of The BKc rather than the focus – pairing down the more graphic elements, such as colour palette and type choice, in favour of the brand’s primary focus on photography, products and stories. “We did not want to make it a ‘graphicy’ identity,” New Studio explain, “by playing with proportions, whitespace and positioning we wanted to give it a considered elegant feel,” resulting in minimal use of colour and Sorts Mill Goudy as the typeface of choice. “We were looking for a classic serif typeface,” they conclude, “we chose Sorts Mill Goudy for its fashiony and editorial qualities,” culminating in a succinct and appurtenant identity that masters the art of catching your eye, and drawing that attention to the stories it champions.

New Studio

The Brooklyn Circus