Studio Sly’s confident identity references BASSANO’s Italian heritage and brutalist construction

Designed by Tom Robertson Architects, Red Hill Victoria’s BASSANO accommodation studio is a brutalist feat of engineering and design. Filled with an unrivalled collection of vintage Italian objects, furniture and materials, the studio offers a totally unique homestay for two. BASSANO, however, was in need of an identity that could match its grace, opulence and comfort. Turning to Melbourne-based design practice Studio Sly, the identity takes influence from the studio’s environmental and personable contexts; beginning with the Italian heritage of its founders’ Eliza and Scotty – alongside the residential donkeys’ Guido and Peppi.

Opting for AlfaType’s Bianco Sans as the primary typeface, the Italian sans serif’s construction conveys a tone similar to the BASSANO itself; rich in character, eccentricity and candour, while being fundamentally built upon a sober, pragmatic grounding. “The wordmark is a customised version of Bianco,” Studio Sly’s Lauren Finks tells us. “I hand drew the ‘B’ and added internal rounding to the lettering to soften the corners,” she adds, noting the further balance of unaltered Bianco alongside CAST Foundry’s Fulmar throughout the extended identity.

Architecturally composed, Studio Sly’s graphic language reflects a structure akin to the building itself. Confident in its use of negative space and staggered typographic treatment, the identity is effortless in its luxuriant pursuit of style and sophistication through the implementation of tactile print finishes and materials such as embossed Italian leather coasters and bespoke brutalist signage.

Further denoting the studio’s serene sense of splendour is Studio Sly’s sharp chromatic colour selection.“The palette was chosen after my first visit to the building site,” Finks remarks, “I wanted the architecture and styling to sit at the forefront,” she adds, recalling how unique the space felt. “The monochrome palette would let everything sing,” Finks concludes, “and the claret is there to pick up one of the tables but also to add a subtle hint of that Italian richness.”

Studio Sly