The Edit: five projects including Mubien’s colourful identity system for San Diego’s The RaDD

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Poppy Thaxter
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The Edit: five projects including Mubien’s colourful identity system for San Diego’s The RaDD

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 Edit: five projects including Mubien’s colourful identity system for San Diego’s The RaDD

The Research and Development District (RaDD) is aiming to be the ‘largest urban commercial waterfront site along California’s Pacific coast;’ housing offices, labs and retail spaces. The San Diego site needed a brand identity to epitomise the scale and ambition of the project. As a result, Santander and California-based design studio Mubien created both a verbal and visual identity that takes inspiration from the alpha symbol, the military, the American flag and morse code. The graphic system pairs bold type with colourful photography, creating a versatile identity that balances the formal with the fun and urban. Combined with nods to ‘urban lifestyle’ and the ‘RaDD’ name, the result is an identity that affirms the spirit of American innovation, and pays homage to its naval heritage while speaking to the unique essence of San Diego’s unmatched lifestyle.

The Edit: five projects including Mubien’s colourful identity system for San Diego’s The RaDD

Librarylab is a foundation from Toronto that not only redistributes resources but also serves as a space for ideas. The Canadian platform is driven by a desire to see more equitable, beautiful, and community-driven cities shaped by radical inclusion. Sharing Librarylab’s enthusiasm for positive change, multidisciplinary designer Joanie Brisebois created a nourishing and growth-friendly identity. “I wanted to create an energetic platform and a solid logo,” Brisebois tells us, “that infuses a feeling of connection and a special emphasis on the ‘learning’ aspect of the foundation.” The resulting identity features a friendly non-gendered character “to help navigate the information” as well as a range of connection devices “to show collectively the various ways people and place can come together.”

The Edit: five projects including Mubien’s colourful identity system for San Diego’s The RaDD

Fidelio is a London-based orchestra and café that aims to make classical music accessible for all. In order to challenge the traditional approach, Fidelio sought the help of Giacomo Boffo to create a rebrand in line with their mission; striking a balance between retro and contemporary, refined and inclusive. A custom version of Displaay’s typeface Tobias was developed, featuring new glyphs and ligatures inspired by the Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession movements. As Tobias is rooted in British type design tradition, with references to Baskerville and Times New Roman, the new font ‘Tobias Fidelio’ is a celebration of both the old and the new.

The Edit: five projects including Mubien’s colourful identity system for San Diego’s The RaDD

BOYA offers leather footwear for women that transcends seasons and stands the test of time. Born in Australia and handcrafted in Spain, the footwear company sought the help of Melbourne-based Studio Work to create a progressive and stylish identity with a subtle 90s feel. For the logotype, a dynamic extended typeface, Trois Mille by Sharp Type Co was elected. With regards to the headline typeface, BOYA requested something timeless, but with an edge. “Editorial New fits the requirements, and adds punch, with the 90s inspired feel,” Director Sarah Mangion tells us, “the type choice complements the client’s footwear aesthetic perfectly.” Tying the identity together is the use of colour. “My aim was to create a palette that was strong, confident, edgy, but with a vintage-inspired vibe. A bold orange works perfectly for that.”

Empathy is a company seeking to fundamentally change the way we deal with loss. Their digital loss companion, focused on the American market, addresses both the emotional and practical sides of loss, offering help, guidance and support on the complicated journey ahead. Playtype created a bespoke typeface for Empathy that conveys warmth and friendliness without becoming comical or detached from the seriousness of the message it is communicating. The typeface, Empathy Serif, is inspired by – and pays homage to – the colourful serif typefaces of the late 19th and 20th century; adding a contemporary, detail-rich and functional feel to this decorative genre. ‘With you,’ Empathy’s tagline, is further conveyed through the thoughtful use of discretionary and decorative ligatures – symbolising a heartfelt human connection. The result is a friendly, approachable typeface with a personality designed around comfort, and indeed, empathy.