The Edit: five projects including Studio NARI’s identity for Living Things that jumps off the shelf — The Brand Identity – Home of the Greatest in Graphic & Brand Design

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 branding for Living Things, designed by Studio NARI, is bursting with life, from name to label. Aimed at a health-conscious, trend-setting Gen Z and Millennial crowd, their approach expresses the gut-friendly benefits of the low-calorie, prebiotic soda with a feel-good design ethos that jumps off the shelf. The wordmark, “literally teeming with life,” is accompanied by bold and playful typography, colours, and beautifully enticing fruit illustrations. This vibrant design has led to Living Things’ success as a cult favourite in health shops and paved the way for plans of nationwide expansion.

At the heart of café bar La Martinuca lies the comfort and familiarity of their iconic tortilla española – a flavour and feeling that only a grandmother can bring to the table. And there she is – adorned with spectacles and a warm smile, a brand mascot that promises a tortilla “Como antes, ahora y siempre” (Like before, now and always). Designed by the team at Maniac Studio, the new identity for one of Spain’s most renowned tortilla española establishments strikes a delicate balance between understated modernity and nostalgic charm. Unconventional contemporary layouts are interwoven with expressive illustrations and typography that evoke just the right amount of warmth and reminiscence.

Independent creative company Barkas draws upon the symbol of the Tuscan region – a pegasus – in their quintessentially Italian identity for Graziano, a Tuscan-inspired trattoria and bottega located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The majestic hand-drawn design references the region where Co-founder & Chef Jonathan Balsløw Sørensen grew up on an olive grove in Montecatini, and subsequently fell in love with the local cuisine. The logotype features custom lettering inspired by Italian street signs. Photography credits include Kasper Kristoffersen, Jakub Dohnalek, and Silvie Tiplicova, with menu binding by bookbinder Klara K.

The visual identity for Pride Amsterdam 2024 – imagined by Addikt – is joyful, vibrant, and unifying, centred around the theme of ‘Togetherness.’ The concept, devised by the Amsterdam and Mumbai-based agency, draws inspiration from the act of weaving, symbolising the strength found in unity. Visually, this is represented with brightly coloured intertwining threads – in Pride’s signature rainbow colour palette – that form a cohesive fabric, representing the diverse LGBTQA+ community coming together. Designed not only as an identity system but also as a toolkit for creatives to create Pride assets across various events and channels, ‘The Weave’ spans various touchpoints – from digital platforms to physical signage – embodying the event’s message of love and solidarity. “Because,” they summarise, “without each other, we are nothing. And when we are together, we are one.”

PHORM, an inquiry-based practice, reunited with Birmingham Design Festival (BDF) to curate ‘Processing…’, the exhibition for the 2024 event. Faced with a tight timeline, PHORM enlisted Nomad Rush to lend their graphic expertise, resulting in a functional and process-inspired catalogue and wall installation. The show boasted an impressive lineup split between BDF speakers, workshop facilitators and PHORM, featuring industry heavyweights like Annie Atkins and Christopher Doyle. Despite the challenges of coordinating participants and collating content, the collaboration with Nomad Rush proved to be a highlight, bringing the exhibition’s visual identity to life.