The Edit: five projects including Manual’s curious identity system for the iconic Eames Institute

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.

The Eames Institute enlisted San Franciscan design and brand consultancy Manual to create the identity for their organisation and help bring the lessons of Ray and Charles Eames to life. Following deep immersion and research at the Eames Ranch in California, the resulting identity is centred around ‘the curious e.’ The monogram, through its continuously shifting gaze, embodies infinite curiosity and carries on the Eames’ legacy of spirited discovery. The identity’s typographic choices are inspired by the clues and insights found within the Eames archive’s ephemera. Topol Bold is a reference to News Gothic, a typeface used by Eames in film titles. This is paired with Century Schoolbook, which provides contrast whilst solidifying the classic and timeless voice of the brand.

Audiology Innovations has set out to disrupt the traditional hearing clinic sector with the help of a brand redesign by Californian design studio Moment. One of the largest hearing loss clinics in Canada, Audiology Innovation’s team of doctors and technology experts work to solve case-by-case hearing loss with the use of hearing aids, assistive listening devices or training programmes. More than just a hearing clinic, Audiology Innovations also wanted to position themselves as a hearing solutions company that are experts in new technologies. Working closely together, Moment created a mark and identity system that reflects the clinic’s goals whilst encapsulating the science and technology behind the innovations in the wearable hearing space. The end result is sleek and instantly recognisable.

London-based studio Covers have designed an interactive installation as part of Hawarden Estate Experience’s Winter Art Garden, set across 1,962 sqm in North Wales. Titled ‘Distance of a Shadow,’ the installation aims to encourage visitors to explore light and shadow during winter with their grid-like framework of markers. Visitors can use these to measure the distance shadows fall on different days and times, highlighting how light changes throughout the year. There are 16 markers set out in 10m intervals from 0 to 50m, signifying the distance the shadow is falling from the visitor. Referencing the movement of the sun, the type rises across each face of the post, allowing it to be read from all sides. The typeface, Colophon Foundry’s Mabry, was chosen for the form and personality of its numbers. The lettering and numbers are cut out of UK-grown hemp fibre – one of the first applications of its kind using this material. The reddy-brown material contrasts with the vibrant off-the-shelf water-based wood-stains that provide protection from the unpredictable Welsh weather. 

Focused on connecting a community of people who want to discover and share good food, DELLI is aiming to become the new digital destination for good food. Developed with Depop founder Simon Beckerman, London-based design practice HATO created a complete brand strategy and identity for the venture. Inspiration for the resulting direction was found through merging traits from the arts, popular culture, cult lifestyle brands and foodie communities together. The identity is a celebration of DELLI’s values: curiosity, community and culture. The wordmark, referencing American Gothic typography, is a nod to the lineage of American delis – established in the US between the late 1800s and early 1900s by Jewish immigrants. 

Designer and art director Erik Herrström has devised the logotype design and modular patterns for Beatgrid, a cross-media audience measurement service. Gellix, a geometric sans serif from Displaay, was chosen for the wordmark as, like the logotype and patterns, the stems are straight combined with circular shapes. These circular shapes are more prominent in the lower case letters, which contributed to Herrström's decision to set it in lower case. Within the identity, the shapes are emphasised through an electric colour combination of yellow and black, whose striking contrast epitomises the duality of what Beatgrid can provide in comparison to its competitors.